All Saints' Church, Kórnik

All Saints' Church tells the second half of Kórnik's story of powerful families. The Górkas, Działyńskis and Zamoyskis lived in the castle, and here are their tombs: Renaissance monuments to the governors of Poznań and a Neoclassical tomb in black marble. The Gothic church of 1437 is part of the Monument of History that also includes the castle and arboretum.

History: a Górka foundation

The church was completed in 1437 thanks to Łukasz I Górka, then starost of Kościan. The Górkas were among the most powerful families in Greater Poland and owned Kórnik. In the 16th century Łukasz III Górka, a supporter of the Reformation, turned the collegiate church into a Lutheran church for a time.

In 1836 the church burned down. It was rebuilt in 1838 to a design by Francesco Maria Lanci, an Italian architect working in Poland; the facade and vaults date from this time. In 2011 the church, as the burial place of Kórnik's owners, was declared a Monument of History together with the castle and arboretum.

What to look for

• The Gothic hall with three aisles of equal height.
• The late Renaissance tombs in the chancel of Łukasz Górka (d. 1573) and Stanisław Górka (d. 1592), governors of Poznań, by the Poznań sculptor Horst.
• The monument to Andrzej II Górka (d. 1583), castellan of Międzyrzecz, with a reclining knight in armour.
• The Neoclassical black marble tomb of Teofila Działyńska (d. 1790) in the chapel – she created the garden that grew into the arboretum.
• The neo-Gothic facade with a rose window and pinnacles, and the small brick towers by the boundary wall.

Did you know?

Stanisław Górka died without heirs in 1592; the castle passed to the Czarnkowski family, then the Grudzińskis, and from 1676 belonged to the Działyńskis. Teofila Działyńska, whose tomb is in the chapel, is said by legend to be the White Lady who steps out of her portrait in the castle dining room at night. A Działyński descendant, Władysław Zamoyski, gave the estate to a foundation that still looks after the castle and its collections.

Tripto tip

The church is on Średzka Street, about 300 metres from the castle, so it combines easily with the castle and arboretum. The interior is mainly open around service times; half an hour is enough to see the tombs. The best photo of the facade is from the square in front of the entrance in the afternoon light.