St. Lawrence Church in Koźmin Wielkopolski

The parish of St Lawrence in Koźmin Wielkopolski was erected in 1318, and the present brick church was built in 1462 thanks to Hińcza of Rogów, then owner of the Koźmin estate. This three-aisled basilica is counted among the more interesting sacral monuments of southern Greater Poland.

A church with a Reformation episode

In 1555 it hosted an assembly of Polish dissenters — a trace of the times when the town was going through the wave of the Reformation. In 1670–1677 the church was extended in the baroque style, with the original Gothic presbytery preserved. As a result, the Gothic skeleton gained a late-Renaissance and baroque dressing, best visible inside.

Treasures of the interior

The three-tier carved high altar from around 1630 holds a late-Gothic sculptural group of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary from 1500–1520, described as the finest in Greater Poland. Next to it stands a Renaissance sandstone ciborium from around 1540 and the tombstone of Andrzej and Barbara née Herburt Górka from around 1590, made of sandstone and red marble. On the Gothic rood beam hangs a Passion group, the naves contain stalls from the second half of the 17th century, and the vaults are covered with late-Renaissance stucco decoration.

Practical information

The church stands at Kościelna 1, near the market square of the Koźmin old town. Entry is possible mainly during services; outside them you can view the towered exterior and other monuments of the town, including the Koźmin castle.