Church of the Transfiguration in Czersk

It stands right below the towers of the castle of the Dukes of Mazovia and is linked to it quite literally – the church walls were built with bricks taken from the castle when it was partly demolished. The Church of the Transfiguration in Czersk also owes its existence to unusual circumstances – it was compensation from the Prussian government.

History: castle bricks and Prussian compensation

After the Third Partition of Poland, Czersk came under Prussian rule and the new authorities partly pulled down the walls of the ruined castle. The church was built in 1805–1806 from those very bricks. It was the Prussian government's compensation for taking away the parish in the village of Linin. At the end of the 19th century a sacristy, treasury and tower were added. The bell at the top of the tower was consecrated on 23 September 1956.

What to see

• The Baroque Revival building on a rectangular plan with a tower at the front – best seen from the castle courtyard, which also overlooks the whole Vistula valley.
• The high altar – carved in wood in 1901, with paintings of the Transfiguration and Our Lady of Częstochowa.
• The Neoclassical spherical font from the early 19th century.
• The wooden pulpit from the mid-19th century, made by the sculptor Wojtasik of Warka.

Did you know?

The church has appeared in Polish films. Kazimierz Kutz shot the hero's wedding scene for "Pułkownik Kwiatkowski" (1995) here, and Maciej Ślesicki filmed scenes for "Show" (2003).

Tripto tip

The church and the castle ruins are only a few dozen metres apart, so visit them together; the church alone takes 15–20 minutes. The best view is from the castle walls, looking over the church tower to the Vistula plain. Czersk lies on road 739, about 3 km from the centre of Góra Kalwaria and a few dozen kilometres south of Warsaw.