Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Choszczno

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands on the Market Square (Rynek) in Choszczno. It is a Gothic parish church from the first half of the 14th century, and also the sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The most valuable monument in the interior is the ceramic bas-relief of the Tree of Jesse, regarded as a rarity on a European scale.

From a Romanesque church to a Gothic parish church

According to the parish website, in the 13th century a Romanesque stone church stood here, built by the Kołbacz Cistercians after they received these lands in 1232-1233 from Duke Władysław Odonic. In 1309 the town church was taken over by the Knights Hospitaller, and it was they who built today's Gothic church in the first half of the 14th century. The tower was completed around 1400. The church is part of the Cistercian Trail in Poland, together with Kołbacz and Bierzwnik.

Fires and rebuilding

In 1536 the church was taken from the Hospitallers and taken over by Protestants. In 1636, during the Thirty Years' War, the church burnt down and the vaults over the aisles collapsed. It was rebuilt in 1640-1663 with a wooden ceiling instead of vaults. In 1859-1862 Emil Karl Flaminius carried out a Neo-Gothic reconstruction in which he reconstructed the window tracery and built new vaults of the aisles and chancel.

In February 1945, during the fighting for the town, the church was destroyed: the roofs disappeared, the vaults collapsed and the furnishings burnt. Rebuilding began at once, the chancel was consecrated on 8 December 1947, and the nave was rebuilt in 1956-1957 to a design by Paweł Sznel. The solemn consecration of the whole church took place on 8 December 1975. In 1993 the sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established in the church.

The Tree of Jesse

The bas-relief from around 1350 is in a niche on the south wall of the chancel. In the centre of the composition is the crucified Christ with Mary and St John, and at the sides are 21 images of Christ's ancestors. According to the parish website, it is a unique object on a national and even European scale, owing to the form of the bas-relief.

The origin of the work is a matter for researchers to establish. According to Janina Kochanowska, it was made in the 14th century for a Franciscan monastery that no longer exists, and after the fires of the 17th century it was moved to the outer wall of the parish church. It reached the interior in the mid-19th century during renovation. According to the Wikipedia entry, the bas-relief may also come from the Cistercian monastery in Bierzwnik.

Epitaphs and font

By the exit from the sacristy two epitaphs are set into the wall: the gravestone of Mayor Mikołaj Rebentisch from the 15th century and that of the patroness Scholastica Elisabeth von Schack from 1787, who funded the roof of the building. In the porch a Neo-Gothic font from the 19th century has survived.

Nearby

Near the Market Square lies Stanisław Moniuszko Park.

In the area is also the Choszczno Land Museum.

Practical information

• Address: Rynek 1, Choszczno.
• Opening hours and information about the Tree of Jesse, including its three-dimensional presentation, are given on the parish website. Check them before your visit.