Church of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist in Pilica

The Church of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist is a Gothic, brick parish church in Pilica, built in the 15th century, shortly after the town was founded on its present site at the end of the 14th century.

History and architecture

The mention of a church from 1325 refers to Stara Pilica, a settlement that developed around the castle in Smoleń. The town church was built in the 15th century, around 1612 it was rebuilt in the spirit of the late Renaissance, and in the 17th and 18th centuries Baroque elements were added. The three-aisled Gothic body has been preserved to a large extent, and above the roof rises a turret for the sanctus bell.

Chapels and interior

Three chapels adjoin the church: the Gothic Chapel of St Anne, the Mannerist Padniewski chapel from 1601, designed by Kasper Fodyga, and the Baroque Chapel of St Joseph from around 1700, with stucco. In the interior, attention is drawn by the Rococo polychrome and numerous tombs, among them the tomb of Katarzyna Pilecka made in 1555 by Giovanni Maria Padovano. The building is entered in the heritage register.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Partyzantów, Pilica.
• Right next door stands the Church of St George, and nearby Pilica Castle.
• Check the rules for visiting the interior with the parish.