Kościół i Pałac Infułatów
Kościół i Pałac Infułatów in Chocz is an abandoned religious complex with a long and troubled past. It includes two main buildings, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Palace of the Mitred Monks. What you see today is a place shaped by power, faith, conflict, and slow decay.
Chocz appears in written sources in 1294. In the 14th century, King Casimir the Great began building a brick-fortified manor here. The Gothic structure measured about 11 by 30 meters, but builders never finished it. In 1382, Bartosz Wezenborg captured the village together with this unfinished manor.
During the 16th century, religion changed everything. In 1555, Wojciech Marczewski converted to Protestantism. He handed over Catholic churches on his estates to Protestant believers. In Chocz, the church went to the Czech Brethren. This became one of the first Protestant churches in Poland.
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
At the start of the 17th century, the Lipski family controlled Chocz. Andrzej Lipski, Bishop of Kujawy and Warsaw, removed the Protestants and brought in the Reformed Order. In 1629, he financed a new Roman Catholic church near the old fortified manor.
Builders finished the chancel and nave between 1629 and 1634. The church followed the Early Baroque style. Around the mid-18th century, workers added a tower. In 1632, the church gained the status of a collegiate church, which showed its importance in the region.
Palace of the Mitred Monks
In 1790, a new palace rose on the ruins of the Gothic manor of King Casimir the Great. Architect Efraim Szreger designed it for Kazimierz Lipski, the protonotary apostolic of Chocz. The palace used the old cellars and ground floor of the unfinished structure. A sacristy and treasury connected it directly to the church.
Around the same time, the church underwent major changes. Builders added a new nave and two aisles in early classicist style. Part of the church even stands on the remains of the medieval castle.
Decline and abandonment
In 1818, the Prussian government removed the collegiate status. The church became a parish church, and the palace turned into a rectory. During the Second World War, the complex lost its sacred role. People used it as a workshop and storage space. After 1945, the Franciscans returned, and repairs followed.
Despite later renovations, serious problems remain. The nearby Prosna River caused water damage to the foundations. Large cracks run through the church walls. The palace also needs urgent work. Today, the complex stands empty and silent.
