Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Łubowo

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Łubowo, in Borne Sulinowo municipality, is known for its high altar. It is a late Gothic triptych that some scholars link to the school of Veit Stoss. The church itself has a single nave, was rebuilt in the 19th century in the Neo-Romanesque style, and is listed in the heritage register.

The church

The first church in Łubowo existed no later than the 14th century. According to the Wikipedia entry, construction of the present church began in 1734, and in the second half of the 19th century it was rebuilt in the Neo-Romanesque style. The heritage register gives different data: the years 1834 to 1835 and a half-timbered structure, so it is worth checking the date with the parish. The body of the nave is about 20.4 m long and 10.1 m wide, a five-sided chancel was added to the east, and an annexe with a sacristy to the north. The walls of multicoloured, broken stone are topped by a dentil brick cornice. The interior is plastered, with a wooden ceiling over the nave and a sail vault over the chancel.

The late Gothic triptych

The history of the altar before 1945 has not been established. According to the author of the monograph, Angelika Grobelna-Sochaj, in 1945, during the fighting for the Pomeranian Wall, a German officer left a large parcel at one of the farms in Starowice and forbade anyone to open it. Years later it turned out to contain a late Gothic altarpiece. It was set up in the church in Starowice, and in 1975 it was moved to Łubowo.

On the night of 17 to 18 August 1994 the altar was stolen. Thanks to the work of the Polish and German police it was recovered in October 1994, and it returned to the church on 20 August 1995. It was conserved in 1974 to 1975 and in 1996 to 1999. Inscriptions found during the work show that in 1848 it was conserved in Czaplinek by a local painter.

The authorship has not been settled. Some scholars point to the school of Veit Stoss, which is repeated on the information board by the church, while others state that at the present stage of research the creator cannot be identified. In the centre of the triptych stands the Virgin and Child, and at the sides St James the Greater and St Anthony the Abbot with a small boar at his foot. The wings are filled with further rows of saints, among them John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, Barbara, Catherine, Margaret and Lawrence.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Kościuszki 28, Łubowo, Borne Sulinowo municipality.
• Service times and the possibility of viewing the altar are given by the parish; check them before your visit.