St Giles' Church, Inowłódz

On a hill in Inowłódz, above the Pilica valley, stands one of the oldest churches in Poland: a stone church with a round tower, traditionally dated to the late 11th century. The Romanesque Church of St Giles in Inowłódz is tied to the history of the Piast dynasty and to the story of the birth of Prince Bolesław III Wrymouth. It makes a short but rewarding stop for anyone driving along the Pilica towards Spała and Tomaszów Mazowiecki.

History: a Piast foundation

According to a later inscription plaque, the church was built in 1082 by Duke Władysław I Herman in thanks for the birth of his son Bolesław. The medieval chronicler Jan Długosz gave the year 1086. Some historians, however, believe it was founded by Bolesław himself, no later than 1138, so sources differ. A Benedictine convent is said to have stood beside it until it was destroyed in the Mongol invasion of 1241.

Once a new parish church was built in 1520, St Giles' lost its importance. In 1793 it was looted by Prussian soldiers, later used as a granary, and by the early 20th century it had a thatched roof. A first reconstruction took place in 1924–1926, followed by a thorough rebuild in 1936–1938 on the initiative of President Ignacy Mościcki. The church was reconsecrated on 1 November 1938.

What to see

• The cylindrical west tower attached to a rectangular nave ending in a semicircular apse. A similar layout is found in 11th-century churches in eastern England.
• Walls of flat sandstone blocks laid in neat low courses, in places in a herringbone pattern known as opus spicatum.
• A capital with interlace ornament shaped like a figure eight, probably from a former twin-arched window.
• The gallery inside the tower, reached by a spiral staircase; the upper storeys serve as a belfry.
• The old cemetery surrounding the church on its hill.

Did you know?

The 1930s reconstruction gave the church the look familiar from postcards, but it also added features foreign to the original building: the tower was raised by one storey, and a gallery replaced an open arcade. In 1790 a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows, considered miraculous, was brought here from a chapel in Giełzów.

Tripto tip

The church is now a chapel of ease of St Michael's parish in Inowłódz, so the interior is usually open around services. In summer (June, July and August) Sunday Mass is held here at 17:00. Twenty to thirty minutes is enough to see it from outside. Combine the visit with Casimir the Great's castle in Inowłódz and the Blue Springs in Tomaszów Mazowiecki.