The Church of Our Lady in Summo
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The Church of Our Lady in SummoThis small church and pearl of Gothic architecture was erected most likely on the site of the former prince's chapel adjacent to the palatium - Mieszko I's seat. Until the 19th century, it was known as "In Summo" - "within the stronghold".
The church was erected in the 15th century, the results of efforts by the cathedral chapter and Bishop Andrzej of Bnin. By 1444, the nave was in place, although it was shorter than intended, most probably due to construction difficulties stemming from its foundations being laid on previous relics. Leading the construction work was Hanusz Prus, probably from the Western Pomeranian workshop of Henryk Brunsberg, as is evidenced by the stylistically consistent interior and ceramic decoration on the façade using profiled glazed bricks, originally intended to be more detailed. In 1445 the west front was completed with one of Wielkopolska's finest gables, which is the work of Jan Lorek of Kościan and may be seen from afar.
Between 1444-47 the church received its stellar vaulting, the work of the Poznań mason Mikołaj and son, some of which has survived to the present day. The church was consecrated in 1448.
The interior is not open to the public: general renovation work has been underway for several years, necessitated by the church having fallen into a poor state of repair. In fact, in the 19th century the church risked demolition, which it avoided thanks to an unlikely series of events. The Prussians first geared up for demolition in 1805, but in 1806 they were forced to withdraw from Poznań by the advancing armies of Napoleon. In 1817 the Prussian authorities once again announced their intention to demolish the building and opened bidding for the church, which ended in a fiasco when the chapter rented the church as a storehouse. A year later the heir to the Prussian throne Frederick Wilhelm IV visited the city and was so enamoured of the church that he suggested turning it into a mausoleum for the first kings, an idea which though initially approved, failed to become reality. In 1841 the building inspector Karl Heinrich Schinkel decreed that the church was in danger of collapse and called for the chapter to arrange demolition immediately. However, the chapter had for some time been planning to renovate this church, which was of great significance to the city of Poznań, the only obstacle being the lack of finance. Renovation work finally took place between 1859-1862 during the Archbishop Leon Przyłuski's pontificate.
Nowadays, the church is entered by the neo-Gothic doors mounted in the Gothic portal in 1890. A second portal on the north side was probably walled up in the 19th century. The current polychrome interior and main altar were designed by Wacław Taranczewski between 1954-56. The niches below the windows contain scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and above the walled-up portal, a likeness of the Mother of God adored by Andrzej of Bnin and Walenty Dymek (the archbishop from 1945-1956). The stained-glass windows were also designed by Taranczewski and produced in Zygmunt Kośmicki's Poznań workshop.