Church of St Andrew the Apostle in Barczewo

In a side chapel of the church in Barczewo a stone cardinal kneels under an arch, while below him lies a knight in armour. They are Andrew and Balthasar Báthory, nephews of King Stephen Báthory of Poland, and the tomb was made in 1598 by the Gdańsk workshop of Willem van den Blocke. The cardinal commissioned it for himself but was never buried in it.

History: Franciscans, Báthory and Bernardines

The Franciscans were settled in Barczewo right after the town was founded. In the charter of 6 July 1364 the Bishop of Warmia gave them a plot by the eastern stretch of the town walls – Barczewo was the only town in Warmia with such a clause. The church was built in 1380–1390; the east wall of the chancel was raised on top of the town wall. In 1414, during the "Hunger War", the friary burned, and during the Reformation it was abandoned.

In 1589 Andrew Báthory became Bishop of Warmia. From 1594 he rebuilt the friary and in 1597 handed it to the Bernardines. He added a domed chapel for the double tomb, unveiled on 1 September 1598, a few weeks before he left for Transylvania, where he became prince in 1599 and was soon killed. The church was consecrated in 1610.

In 1833 the community was dissolved and the friary turned into a prison, which still operates in Barczewo. The church remained Catholic, and in 1982 the Franciscans returned. Conservation work in 2018–2023 covered the façades, roof, chancel and St Anthony's Chapel.

What to see

• The Báthory tomb – Balthasar lying in armour in the lower zone, Cardinal Andrew kneeling under the arch. Two angel figures were added later by Christian Bernhard Schmidt of Reszel.
• St Anthony's Chapel – the former Báthory chapel, rebuilt in the 17th century when Barczewo became a centre of devotion to St Anthony.
• Eight Baroque altars, including the high altar of 1736 by Johann Christian Schmidt.
• A Rococo pulpit and Mannerist choir stalls of 1615, funded by canon Laurentius Koch.
• The tombstone of Bishop Piotr Tylicki in the floor.

Did you know?

In 1629, before the Swedish army arrived, the friars hid a pot of 1,084 coins under the chancel floor. The church was once the goal of traditional "łosiery", foot pilgrimages from almost all of Warmia.

Tripto tip

The church stands in the south-eastern part of the old town, by the former wall. You will find the tomb in St Anthony's Chapel. The interior is easiest to see just before or after Mass. Allow half an hour and combine it with a walk to St Anne's Church and the synagogue – everything is a few minutes apart.