Church of Sts Peter and Paul in Lekowo

The Church of Sts Peter and Paul in Lekowo is a half-timbered church of 1751, a former Protestant church of a village near Świdwin. It stands in the middle of the village, in a historic cemetery surrounded by a stone wall, and belongs to the heritage register.

History

The first church in Lekowo was mentioned in 1491. The present framed one was built in 1751 on the site of a 15th-century church; the founders were the owners of the village, the von Leckow family. It was a branch church of the parish in Rusinowo. In 1947 it was consecrated as a Roman Catholic church, and since 1980 it has been a parish church. In the 1970s and 1980s the walls of the nave were lined with masonry from the inside and a brick sacristy was added.

The building and furnishings

The church is a hall church with a polygonally closed chancel and a two-storey tower in the western part of the body, topped with a stepped spire with an octagonal lantern. The walls have a frame construction of oak timber with brick infill. In the chancel hangs a late Gothic triptych of about 1500 with figures of apostles and saints. The older furnishings also include a Baroque font of the mid-17th century, a neoclassical organ case of the late 19th century and heraldic stained glass of 1909.

Practical information

• Location: Lekowo, Świdwin municipality, the church within the cemetery at the crossing of the village's main roads.
• According to the National Heritage Board of Poland the building is accessible from the outside, and the interior can be visited with the parish priest's consent.
• Świdwin, about 8 km further, has the Church of St Michael the Archangel and the castle.