Church of Sts Fabian and Sebastian in Krotoszyn

The little wooden church on ul. Więźniów Politycznych looks more like an Orthodox church than a typical church in Greater Poland: it is built on a Greek-cross plan, with an octagonal dome and bell turret rising over the centre. The town's walking guide calls it Krotoszyn's oldest building whose form has remained unchanged to this day. Its first congregation were the Bohemian Brethren, and locals have called it "St Roch's little church" for centuries.

History: from the Bohemian Brethren to St Roch

According to the walking guide prepared with the Regional Museum in Krotoszyn, the church was built around 1572, funded by the town's owner Jan Rozdrażewski on the site of an earlier oratory, and handed to the Bohemian Brethren who had come to Krotoszyn. The regional heritage catalogue gives a different construction date — 1752 — so the dating remains disputed. Both agree on 1813, when the building was thoroughly restored; the catalogue adds that a tower was attached on the west side at that time.

In 1630, because of recurring epidemics, an altar of St Roch, the saint invoked against plague, was set up in the church — hence its popular name. A hospital, in effect a shelter for the sick and poor, operated beside it, and later a Catholic cemetery was laid out, which the German occupiers cleared in 1940–1941. Since the church has held relics of St Sebastian, patron of archers and marksmen, since the 18th century, in 2008 it became the patronal church of the Fowler Brotherhoods (traditional shooting societies) of the Kalisz diocese.

What to see

• The Greek-cross building with its octagonal centre, shingled roofs and a bell turret with lantern and onion cap at the top of the dome.
• The late-baroque high altar from the second half of the 18th century, with a painting of Sts Fabian and Sebastian from the second half of the 17th century between statues of Sts Peter and Paul. Fabian is shown wearing the papal tiara and holding a pontifical cross.
• A crucifix from the second half of the 17th century on the chancel arch — slender and serene, with a flaming silver heart at the side wound.
• Statues of St Roch and St Florian from the late 18th century in front of the altar.
• A plaque to Stanisław Staśkiewicz, a veteran of the January Uprising who died in 1900.

Tripto tips

The church is a chapel of ease of St John the Baptist parish, so the interior is mostly open around services. The feast of both patrons falls on 20 January, a good day to see the church in use. Twenty to thirty minutes is enough for the outside and the interior. Nearby stands "Krotoszanka" — an arcaded wooden house from the second half of the 18th century, the oldest residential building in town, now privately owned and seen from the outside.