Church of Saint Adalbert in Gdańsk

Brief Information

This church has an important detail placed outside: its wooden tower was built in 2013 without the use of nails, although the church itself dates back to the early 14th century. Therefore the building should not be read as a single “medieval” object. Within it, an early foundation, traces of later reconstructions, and a completely new wooden work made according to an old principle of joining parts exist side by side.

The history of the place explains this mixture. In the 15th century the church acquired a tower; in 1537 a fire destroyed the Benedictine church and monastery, and in the 16th century they were rebuilt. In the 18th century two side chapels and new furnishings were added. After that, the interior became not just a shell for worship, but a set of different focal points: altars, chapels, images, and a reliquary statue of Saint Adalbert.

What to Notice First

You can compare three levels of the church’s structure: the tower, the nave, and the presbytery. The tower is important not only because of the age of the idea, but also because of the method of assembly: the new wooden structure without nails shows that what was valued here was not one material, but the very technique of joining. In the nave, the two side altars function as a symmetrical pair: the right one is dedicated to the Virgin Mary with the Child, the left one to the Crucifixion of Christ. This helps show how the space distributes different subjects to either side.

In the presbytery, look for an older and more densely meaningful detail: a 15th-century wooden triptych with scenes from the life of Christ. Next to it, the main altar with an image of Saint Adalbert connects the church’s name with its principal image. The flat Baroque ceiling with the Lamb of God, clouds, and an open book adds another layer: the gaze rises from the altars and the triptych to the symbol above the entire interior space.