Church of SS. Peter and Paul in Reszel, Gothic parish church in Reszel, Poland
The Church of SS. Peter and Paul in Reszel is a Gothic, oriented, three-nave hall church without a separate chancel, built of brick on a low stone foundation. Its square west tower has eight storeys and rises 52 metres. The interior is covered by a star vault supported by four pairs of octagonal pillars and four pairs of wall half-pillars.
The church was built after 1360, with its nave and the lower part of the tower; it was first mentioned in 1402. A fire in 1474 destroyed it partly, and the rebuilding from 1475 added a new east gable and a star vault. Bishop Marcin Kromer consecrated it in 1580. After another fire in 1806 it was rebuilt and reconsecrated in 1817.
The church's dedication changed over time: consecrated in 1580 as Our Lady and SS. Peter and Paul, it was reconsecrated in 1817 as SS. Peter and Paul and St. Catherine. The high altar, made in 1820–1822 and funded by Bishop Joseph Hohenzollern, holds paintings by Jan Blank from 1821 showing the two apostles and St. Catherine.
The church stands in Reszel's old town, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The main body is a hall church without a separate chancel, so the interior is read as one space; the 52-metre tower rises on the west side. The 1471 library and the star vaults of the sacristy and porch are the parts to seek out.
The eastern facade displays a series of triangular decorative elements that form a distinctive architectural feature of the period. These details are typical of churches in the Warmia region and reveal the local building tradition.
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