St Andrew's Church in Łęczyca

By the exit of Łęczyca's parish church stands a stone holy-water stoup with grooves worn into its rim. Local tradition says they were left by noblemen sharpening their sabres while regional assemblies of the gentry met in the church. The Gothic church of St Andrew the Apostle, consecrated in 1425, was burned twice during raids by the Teutonic Knights, and its belfry is a surviving tower from the walls King Casimir the Great built around the town.

History: from Herman's foundation to consecration

The parish traces the church's origins to Duke Władysław Herman, who is said to have founded a church of St Giles in Łęczyca to give thanks for the birth of his son Bolesław – though no documents confirm this. The oldest written record of the church comes from the files of a Polish–Teutonic lawsuit of 1338. The Teutonic Knights burned the church in 1331 and 1406. After the first fire it was rebuilt in brick with funding from Casimir the Great; after the second it was thoroughly reconstructed. The present church was consecrated on 27 May 1425 by Wojciech Jastrzębiec, Archbishop of Gniezno.

It was originally a three-aisled Gothic basilica. In the 17th and 18th centuries the interior was remodelled in Baroque style, and in the 19th century the vaults of the side aisles were replaced with flat ceilings. From the outside, however, the church has kept its Gothic shape: a polygonal chancel, a steep roof, a slender three-tier bell turret, buttresses and pointed windows.

What to look for

• The chancel – Gothic, with a groin vault with lunettes resting on 17th-century wall pillars. The 18th-century Baroque high altar holds a painting of St Andrew, with St Joseph at the top.
• The chancel arch with an 18th-century carving of Christ on the cross.
• The Szczawiński Chapel extending the south aisle, from the 17th century (sources differ on which half): a red-marble doorway with the Prawdzic coat of arms, a dome on pendentives painted with an illusionistic Assumption, and a marble epitaph of Voivode Jakub Szczawiński with a portrait painted on metal. The chapel altar holds a painting of Our Lady of the Scapular, known as the "Duchess of Łęczyca".
• The Sacred Heart Chapel at the end of the north aisle, closed off by an openwork iron grille dated 1796, with a marble font from 1630.
• The Chapel of Christ Crucified with a Baroque grille dated 1795 and symbols of the Passion.
• The painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on a side altar, brought from Rome in 1899 and blessed by Pope Leo XIII.
• The stoup by the exit, with grooves that tradition links to sabre-sharpening.
• The belfry with a pyramid roof – a former 15th-century defensive tower.

Tripto tip

The church stands in the centre of Łęczyca, a few minutes' walk from the market square. It is an active parish, so the best time to see the interior is between Masses; the parish publishes its service times on its website and changes them seasonally. Allow 30–45 minutes for the church and chapels, and combine your visit with Łęczyca's royal castle. Before going in, walk round the belfry: it is a fragment of the medieval fortifications that once enclosed the town.