Assumpted Virgin Mary church in Puszczykowo, church building in Puszczykowo, Poland
The Assumpted Virgin Mary church in Puszczykowo is a brick building with a Latin cross floor plan consisting of a long nave, a chancel, and two small square side chapels projecting from the main body. The exterior features tall narrow windows with rounded tops, pilasters dividing the walls, and a roof covered in traditional ceramic tiles topped with a steeple capped by an onion-shaped dome.
The church was designed by architect Adam Ballenstaedt and contains 17th-century furnishings including five Baroque altars carved by woodcarver Johann Daniel Danzer, with a main altar featuring a 1666 painting of the Virgin Mary being crowned. Beneath the chancel lies a crypt holding the tombs of the founder's family, the Grudziński, including their young son who died at age three with a rare portrait carved into his coffin.
The church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and features interior wall paintings and sgraffito decorations by local artists Anna and Leonard Torwirt depicting religious scenes. These artistic additions shape the visual character of the space and create a welcoming feeling for visitors and worshippers.
Entry to the church is through a modest porch on the western side, while the interior receives natural light from tall narrow windows positioned throughout. The grounds are surrounded by a partly plastered brick wall with multiple gates providing access to the cemetery, rectory, and a bell tower that stands near the main building.
Hidden beneath the chancel is a family crypt of the founders where the tomb of young Zygmunt Grudziński stands out, bearing a rare portrait carved directly into his coffin in what is an unusual practice in Poland. This touching artistic detail offers visitors insight into burial customs of the past.
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