The Church of St John the Evangelist in Fiszewo is a medieval monument that now lies in ruins. The church served the local community from the 13th century until 1945. Three years later, it was destroyed by fire, after which no decision was made to rebuild it. It was only in the last decade that interest in the church was rekindled and its renovation was undertaken.
The Church in Fiszewo – origins and development of the church
The parish in Fiszewo (German: Fischau) was first mentioned as early as the 13th century, whilst the construction of the brick church is dated to the years 1380–1400. The construction of the church was linked to the development of settlement in the Żuławy region. The building was erected as a three-nave church with a separate chancel and a tower. Its walls were reinforced with buttresses, and there was a porch on the south side. The interior of the church was furnished with magnificent altars, a pulpit, stone baptismal fonts and epitaphs. The scale of the project meant that the building was visible from many kilometres away. However, the church’s imposing dimensions proved to be its undoing. The waterlogged soils of the Żuławy region and the periodic flooding of the surrounding meadows necessitated frequent repairs to cracks in the brick walls and measures to reinforce their stability. By the 18th century, the chancel had already sustained serious damage, and further major renovations were carried out in the early 20th century.
The fire of 1948 and a period of decline
The building was not destroyed during the Second World War, but its valuable furnishings were devastated and looted. After 1945, the former Lutheran parishioners were resettled to what is now Germany, and their place was taken by an influx of people from other regions of Poland. Unfortunately, in 1948, the brick building was consumed by fire. The blaze destroyed the roof, the gable of the tower, the interiors and the remains of the preserved furnishings. Following this event, plans for reconstruction were abandoned, leaving the burnt-out walls to the mercy of the elements. Rain, frost and wind completed the work of destruction, and the interior became overgrown with wild vegetation. Thanks to its solid construction, however, the outer walls, fragments of the pillars and the base of the tower have survived to this day. In addition, the former presbytery and the old cemetery have survived in the vicinity of the church.
The church in Fiszewo and its reconstruction
When there was no sign of the building’s condition improving, 70 years after the fire, the brick ruins finally underwent restoration work. In 2019, the Diocese of Elbląg, as the property owner, investor and main beneficiary of the funds, undertook the work. It is the diocese that secures funding and oversees the successive stages of the renovation. This includes, amongst other things, reinforcing the walls and gradually restoring selected elements of the building’s structure. A new roof and reconstructed gables have already been installed on the church. Ultimately, the church in Fiszewo will not be fully restored as a place of worship with traditional liturgical furnishings. The interior is to remain largely raw and open, with exposed walls, pillars and fragments of the former arcades. Once the reconstruction of the roof over the nave is complete, the building will be able to serve cultural and educational purposes. Plans include organising intimate concerts, meetings and small exhibitions, whilst preserving the historical authenticity of the ruins.
Where will the funds for the reconstruction come from?
In addition to the aforementioned Diocese of Elbląg, public institutions are involved in the project. Elbląg County is responsible for the tender procedures and the organisation of part of the project, including the preparation of further stages of securing the ruins. All works are carried out with the support of state funding, including from programmes of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Government Programme for the Protection of Monuments. Supervision of the project is carried out by the monument protection services, and earlier stages were implemented with the participation of the Diocesan Curia in Elbląg.
Source: portel.pl, info.elblag.pl
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