Church of St Thomas the Apostle in Runowo

The Church of St Thomas the Apostle in Runowo, a village in Węgorzyno municipality in Łobez County, was built of fieldstone in the 14th century. The heritage register gives the dating as the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. It is distinguished by its surviving furnishings from the early 17th century.

History of the church

Until the death of its patron Józef Borck in 1625 the church was Catholic, and then it was taken over by Protestants. In 1860 the building was rebuilt: the windows and portals were rebuilt, and a sacristy was added on the east (according to another source the sacristy was added in 1882). The east gable decorated with blind arches kept its original character. In 1882 a brick Neo-Gothic tower with a tall spire was raised on the west. It was consecrated again as a Catholic church on 29 June 1946.

Furnishings

The interior, with a wooden ceiling, has kept a Baroque altar from the early 18th century with scenes of the Resurrection and the Ascension, a pulpit and a font signed with the name of Borchardus Pridelle and the date 1604, choir stalls, patron’s pews and a Renaissance gallery. A bell of 1591 hangs in the tower.

Practical information

• Runowo, Węgorzyno municipality; the church is about 4 km from the centre of Węgorzyno.
• The parish gives service times and the possibility of seeing the interior; it is worth checking before you visit.
• Nearby lies Lake Węgorzyno.