Collegiate Church of St. Peter and Paul in Kruszwica

In Kruszwica, on the eastern bank of Gopło, there is one of the best-preserved monuments of Romanesque architecture in Poland - the collegiate church of St. Peter and Paul. Built in the first half of the 12th century, made of granite and sandstone blocks, the church is an oriented three-nave basilica, on a Latin cross plan, with five eastern apses. From the south side, three decorative portals lead to the interior of the temple. The fourth one, bricked up and located in the northern wall, probably served as a port mortuorum (gates of the dead). If you are careful, you will notice a sign resembling a swastika on one of the walls. Once the so-called The "spinning cross" was a sign protecting Christians from Satan. The mysterious scratches on the walls of the collegiate church are traces of devil's claws. The devil, dissatisfied with the construction of the church, tried to destroy it, leaving these signs behind. At least that's what the legend says... The austere, ascetic interior of the temple fully reflects the character of the original Romanesque art. The church's Romanesque furnishings include a chalice-shaped baptismal font from the 12th century and a stoup with crosses carved on the rim. In 1954, the lower parts of Romanesque altars were uncovered in the apses of the transept. It is also worth paying attention to the chancel's chancel arch, under which there are 16th-century late Gothic sculptures and figures of kneeling angels from the first half of the 19th century. 18th century, from the baroque altars of the collegiate church. You will also see 17th-century marble slabs dedicated to the beginnings of the church and a late Gothic tombstone of Zofia Oporowska, the staress of Kruszwica, who died in 1500. In 1148, the wedding of Judith, the daughter of Bolesław Krzywousty, and Otto took place in the Kruszwica temple. The ceremony was attended by Bolesław Kędzierzawy and Mieszko Stary, the bride's brothers, and the Archbishop of Magdeburg - Fryderyk.