Church of Our Lady, Help of Christians in Tychowo

The church in Tychowo is the oldest building in the town. It was built at the end of the 15th century from fieldstone and brick, and after 19th-century alterations it combines masonry with half-timbered construction and has a tower with a two-stage helmet.

Founders and alterations

The church was founded by the von Kleist and von Versen families, then owners of the village, which is now a town. In 1830 the nave was extended eastwards with walls of half-timbered construction, and the roof structure was changed. The tower was built at that time too. In 1859 a neo-Renaissance chapel with a patrons' gallery for the owners of the village was added on the south side, with a burial crypt under the floor.

The tower after the fire

In 1870 the upper part of the tower with the helmet burned down, and the cause of the fire was never established. The tower was rebuilt as early as 1871. The present helmet is two-stage, with a lantern, covered with zinc sheet and topped with a cross with a weathervane. The date of the fire is engraved on the weathervane. At the beginning of the 20th century the tower was strengthened with a steel structure. Three bells hung in the tower, two of which were taken for military purposes during the First World War. The bell cast in 1893 survived.

Furnishings

The most valuable item is a Gothic triptych with a scene of the Annunciation, made of wood in Pomerania at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1976 it was moved from the branch church in Stare Dębno. The predella, younger by about a hundred years, is decorated with the coats of arms of the von Kleist and von Heidebreck families. On the south wall hangs a baroque crucifix of the 18th century, the work of an unknown folk sculptor. In the Chapel of St Joseph you can see a wooden, elliptical epitaph plaque of Elizabeth Zeidler of 1679, painted in tempera. The organ was built in 1936 and rebuilt in 1969.

Nearby

The church stands in the centre of Tychowo. About 300 metres from it lies the Town Park, and a little under 400 metres further on you will find Triglav.

Practical information

• Address: Kościelna 2a Street, Tychowo (Białogard County), parish of Our Lady, Help of Christians.
• Monument entered in the register, the oldest building in the town.
• Mass times are given on the parish website (parafia.tychowo.pl); outside services, arrange entry to the interior with the parish.