Tum Collegiate Church

Information

Collegiate Church in Tum, that is the Łęczyca arch-collegiate Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Aleksego is one of the most beautiful and valuable Romanesque buildings in Poland, and thus the most important point of the Romanesque Trail. Its origins date back to the end of the 10th century, when the then Polish king Bolesław I the Brave (967-1025) founded an abbey here, which he handed over to the Benedictine brothers. The patrons of the church were the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Alexios. From 1181, 21 provincial synods, also known as the synods of Łęczyca, took place in the collegiate church in Tum (the last one took place in 1547). Over the centuries, the collegiate church was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The last time the church was destroyed in September 1939 during the Battle of Bzura. After the war, the collegiate church was carefully rebuilt in its original Romanesque shape. During the works, in 1952, a well-preserved 12th-century Romanesque polychrome with Christ was discovered, while in 1954, the foundations of the former Benedictine abbey were found here. The beautiful Romanesque portal is also very impressive. Inside, it is also worth paying attention to the 15th baptismal font covered with runic script.