During research in a baroque church in Karczew near Warsaw, conservators found fragments of wall paintings from the 18th century.
In the Baroque church of Saint Vitus in Karczew, built in 1732-1737, architectural and conservation research is being carried out, co-financed by the Masovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments.
“During research in the chapel on the northern side, built most likely in the early 1740s, fragments of well-preserved polychromes depicting illusionistic ornaments were uncovered. Work is underway to precisely identify the paintings by a team of conservators conducting research,” said the Masovian conservator.
The first church was wooden
As written on the parish website, in the light of recent research, it can be assumed that the parish in Karczew was established in the 13th century. The first written documents come from the 16th century and refer to a wooden church built by the Masovian Karczewski family of the Jasieńczyk coat of arms. She founded the village of Karczewo, which was part of the Otwock estate, and built a wooden church. Saint Bartholomew and Saint Vitus.
In 1548, with the consent of Sigismund I, Jan and Franciszek Karczewscy raised the settlement to the dignity of a city and granted Chełmno rights (the settlement lost its city rights in 1869 and regained them in 1957). Around 1602, the original church burned down and a new, makeshift wooden one was built. When the Bishop of Poznań, Wawrzyniec Goslicki, came for a visit in 1603, the church had not yet been consecrated.
The brick church was built by the Crown Chancellor Kazimierz Bieliński in 1632. The Grand Marshal of the Crown, Franciszek Bieliński, rebuilt it in 1733-1737 (the project is attributed to Jakub Fontana). The temple was consecrated by the Bishop of Płock, Andrzej Załuski, in 1733, on the Sunday after the celebration of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. In 1704, the Swedish king Charles XII and Stanisław Leszczyński came to Karczew for two days. The oldest part is the Karczewski chapel from 1541, originally added to a wooden temple. During the city fire in 1865, the church burned down again. The reconstruction was financed by the then heirs – the Kurtz family.
Meat processing facilities during the occupation
The parish church in Karczew suffered during the war, but all the damage was rebuilt and its original appearance was restored. The town of Karczew became famous for its cattle fairs in the 18th century. During World War II, it became the center of meat products for the capital, and since the 19th century, Corpus Christi has been especially lavishly celebrated here.
Main photo source: K. Onisk / MWKZ