Kościół pw. św. Mikołaja w Tarnowie Pałuckim

Tarnowo Pałuckie is a village which has always been associated with the Cisterican Abbey in nearby Łekno. Today the local St. Nicholas’ Church is considered the oldest wooden sanctuary in Poland. Dendrochronological research conducted at the end of the 20th century on the timber used for the construction of the sanctuary showed that the trees were cut down in the last quarter of the 14th century! The year 1639, which used to be considered the year of the construction (it is written on one of the beams), turned out to be the year in which the tower was attached. The church is oriented and has a log-framed structure. There are two entrances leading to the church: the main entrance through the tower, and the massive side door from around 1493, which is richly ornamented with iron fittings.

Inside the sanctuary there are stunning, mostly Late Renaissance polychromes dating back to 1639. On the walls there are scenes from the everyday life of St. Nicholas and St. Margaret. In the presbytery and below the choir an unknown artist placed pictures presenting scenes from the New Testament. Above, on the frieze, there are cartouches depicting the symbols of the Marian litany. The most beautiful part of the polychrome is on the ceiling, which presents the scene of the Adoration of the Most Holy Trinity. Around the painting there are the symbols of the four apostles. The rest of the ceiling is decorated with painted coffers depicting the prophets, the Fathers of the Church, the tools of the Lord’s Passion, figures of angles, and other symbols.

Among the furnishings in the sanctuary, special attention should also be paid to the Late Renaissance main altar from the 17th century with a painting depicting the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the southern side altar from the 17th century with a picture of St. Nicholas, the northern altar with an image of St. Margaret from around 1712, and the crucifixion scene on the rood beam, which includes a Baroque cross dated back to the beginning of the 18th century and the figures of St. Mary and St. John. The organs are from before 1712; originally, they were operated with special ropes, not typical windbags.