Remains of St Michael's Parish Church in Wieluń

The low brick walls in the centre of Wieluń trace the outline of the town's oldest parish church – St Michael the Archangel, for centuries the most important church in the Wieluń region. It survived fires and rebuildings but not the war: damaged in the air raid of 1 September 1939, it was blown up by the Germans in 1940 and demolished down to its foundations.

History: from Romanesque walls to a collegiate church

According to the church historian Fr Jan Związek, Wieluń's oldest stone church dates from the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, the same period as the town's castle. Its thick limestone walls marked it as late Romanesque; later damage was patched with brick. It was known for a stone portal in an iron-brown colour, mixing Romanesque and Gothic features, and for four nave pillars built of neatly dressed limestone blocks.

In the early 15th century the collegiate chapter was moved here from nearby Ruda – in 1419 according to some sources, and by a decision of Archbishop Mikołaj Trąba of 24 April 1420 according to Fr Związek. The church then received a second dedication, to the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, and hosted state and church assemblies. The chapter was dissolved by a decree of 1824, but the church remained the parish church. After a great fire in 1858 it was rebuilt with a new tower that received three bells (1862) and later a clock (1893).

War and demolition

The bombing raid of 1 September 1939 – the opening day of the Second World War – destroyed the right-hand aisle, but the building could have been repaired. Even so, in 1940 the Germans blew it up and cleared the rubble. The church was also a place of memory for Poland's fight for independence: the Wieluń Regional Museum notes that in July and August 1920 masses for the homeland were held here, and that a plaque from 1929 honoured Jan Łączkowski, a 17-year-old defender of Lviv. The plaque was later found and unveiled again in St Joseph's Church.

What you can see today

In 1988–1991 the foundations of the collegiate church were uncovered and partly rebuilt above ground, so you can walk around the plan of the former church. A memorial boulder and an information board with an archive photo of the church stand beside the remains.

Tripto tip

Fifteen to twenty minutes is enough to see the remains, and the site is open without tickets. Bring up an archive photo of the church on your phone and compare it with the walls – only then does its size become clear. Combine the visit with the Wieluń Regional Museum and with other places in town linked to 1 September 1939.