Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Chociwel: A Gothic Parish Church
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Poland
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Duchy of Pomerania, Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page9 sections
History
Medieval Construction
Our Lady of Sorrows church in Chociwel is a Gothic Roman Catholic parish church in Chociwel, Poland. Its construction took place in stages: the presbytery, the part of a church around the main altar traditionally reserved for the clergy, was built in 1408, while the nave block and tower were completed in 1460.
Around 1600, the church was enlarged with additions attached to its northern and southern elevations. These extensions formed part of the building’s later development while its medieval brick structure remained at the core of the church.
Changes in Religious Use
From 1530, the church was under Protestant control and served the Lutheran community. It returned to Catholic use in 1945 and was dedicated on 17 August of that year. Since then, pastoral ministry has been conducted by members of the Society of Christ, a Catholic religious congregation founded to provide pastoral care for Poles living abroad.
The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. Its liturgical commemoration is held on the Friday before Palm Sunday.
Remains
Building and Vaulted Interior
The church is a rectangular brick building with three naves and a single tower. Two rows of octagonal pillars divide the three-naved body and support a star vault, a ribbed vault whose intersecting ribs create a star-like pattern. The four-bay presbytery has a single nave and ends in a polygonal form. The extensions added around 1600 remain attached to the northern and southern sides of the church.
Altars and Furnishings
Triptych Altar
The interior furnishings are Neo-Gothic in style. The wooden altar includes a triptych, an altar piece with a central panel and two hinged side wings, set within pointed-arch arcades. Paintings of Saints Peter and Paul occupy the left wing, while the right wing depicts Moses and John the Baptist.
Font, Statues, and Music Gallery
The church contains a limestone baptismal font and statues of the crucified and risen Christ, Apocalyptic Mary, Saint Catherine, and Saint Barbara. Apocalyptic Mary represents the Virgin Mary in connection with the woman of the Apocalypse described in the Book of Revelation, and the statue is carved from limewood. A two-level music gallery is located inside the church.
The Chociwel Passion
The church’s original furnishings included the Chociwel Passion, a Crucifixion group of five limewood sculptures made in the early sixteenth century. The group showed the Crucified Christ, Our Lady of Sorrows, John the Evangelist, and two thieves. The sculptures are attributed to the workshop of an unknown artist conventionally called the Master of the Chociwel Passion.
Until 1883, the group was kept in St Mary’s Church in Chociwel. It was then transferred to the Museum of Antiquities in Szczecin. The surviving group is now incomplete, consisting of Christ and the Bad Thief, and is displayed in the permanent exhibition of the National Museum in Szczecin.
