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Batorowo: church of the Good Shepherd

Date of construction: 1783-1786

In the church in Batorowo there is an untypical construction made from wooden posts. Although now it seems useless, in the past it had a very important function. What was it?

Another untypical element of the church’s furnishings are the altar and the pulpit. In what way are they unusual and what was the reason for it?

From the church’s ceiling, the Eye of Providence in triangle, surrounded with clouds angels and rays watches the faithful. What is its symbolizm and meaning?

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Wooden monuments
Batorowo: church of the Good Shepherd

Churches in Kleszczyna and Batorowo were erected by the Evangelicals who lived in great numbers in the area of the former Prussia. Both churches were later transformed and given to the Catholics. In Protestantism the proclamation of the word of God is extremely important. It is reflected in the design of the churches’ interior. In the central place there is a platform – the pulpit which resulted in the construction of altar-pulpit. Many benches and galleries where the faithful sat surrounded it.

Galleries (balconies) were a “second floor” of the church. Thanks to them more faithful could gather for the service. Nowadays only the supporting posts are left which gives an original character to the interior of the church.

We don’t have any information whether the galleries were decorated but refined ends of the posts allow us to suspect that there were elaborate carvings once. Craftsmanship and talent of the woodcarvers are visible here.

Surley not once did a solemn protestant song, which told about the trust and faith in God and which was written in 1529 by Martin Luther, sound from the galleries:A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing:
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.

In the central place of the church there used to be a pulpit placed on the main altar and covered with a canopy. Now the pulpit and the altar are seperated but they are still situated next to each other. It is clear that they used to be one piece. A reverend would climb to the pulpit up the stairs at the back of the altar. Now there is a painting of Christ the Good Shepherd in the altar’s centre.

The altar in the Rococo style stands out by its subtle elegance. It was made in ivory colour with golden decorations.

During the conservation work of the altar – on the basis of pre-war photographs of the sculpture of St. Peter, St. Paul and the angels were reconstructed.

The pillar of faith is the belief in Providence which conveys the truth that God is not an indifferent Creator. God’s “sight” should be understood that in the presence of the All-Seer men find comfort in the thought that there is someone who constantly accompanies and supports them. The Eye of Providence, known as all-seeing eye of God, is represented as a symbol of an eye surrounded by sun rays or a halo and put into triangle. The symbol is often read as an artistic image of God and it appeared for the first time in the current form in the 17th and 18th centuries in the West. In the later period it became to mean a symbol of the Holy trinity. The Eye of Providence in Batorowo was made in the second half of the 18th century.

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Batorowo: church of the Good Shepherd

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