online bulletin
| Places of interest |
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| Friday, 04 December 2009 02:00 |
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St Adalbert (Wojciech) Hill and St Adalbert Church
St Adalbert Hill is an oasis of calm a few-minutes walk from Poznan’s centre. On the Hill stands one of the oldest Poznan churches, which has been beautifully renovated and is definitely worth visiting. A newcomer from the Czech Republic, St. Adalbert was the first Polish Bishop. In the second half of the 10th century he came to Mieszko’s court along with Princess Dobrawa, the later wife of the first Polish ruler. Bishop Adalbert died a martyr while Christianising pagan Prussian tribes in the contemporary Masuria area. According to the saint’s biography, Mieszko’s son Boleslaus the Brave, the first Polish king, bought back the Bishop’s body from the pagans, having paid as much gold as the Bishop weighed. The cult of St. Adalbert started immediately after his death. In 1000, Otto III made a pilgrimage to the saint’s tomb. Nowadays, St Adalbert is one of the patron saints of Poland and the united Europe. According to tradition, in 996 and 997, Bishop Adalbert preached the Gospel on the hill, which was later named after him. In 1222, in token of this event, the first temple was raised. The contemporary church was raised in the 15th century as a one-nave Gothic structure. One hundred years later, aisles were added. In the 16th and 17th century the church was converted into the Renaissance style. The St. Adalbert Church was one of two temples in Poznan in World War II, where liturgies for Poles took place. The St. Adalbert Church is a three-nave temple with a stellar Gothic vault. The interior is ornamented with Antoni Procajłowicz’s Art Nouveau polychrome from 1911-12. The high altar is from 1953, after the Gothic style. In its middle part stands an authentic 16th century Gothic bas-relief of the Assumption of Mary, probably made by one of Veit Stoss’s pupils. Altars in the aisles are from the Renaissance, and the pulpit was ornamented with bas-reliefs of the most brilliant Polish preachers. At Christmas time, a moving nativity scene with moving figures of Polish kings, national heroes, scientists and artists, is a great church attraction. There is also a Heroes Crypt in the church’s vault. Many important Poles are buried there, such as Józef Wybicki (author of the national anthem), Karol Marcinkowski (a physician and patriot from Poznan), Feliks Nowowiejski (a composer), and Heliodor Święcicki (the first president of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan). Over the last few years, restoration works have taken place. All of the paintings, stained-glass windows and sculptures have been thoroughly renovated. Thanks to that, nowadays, this small church on St. Adalbert Hill is one of the prettiest in Poznan. |
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