St Adalbert’s church at Zawodzie in Kalisz was one of the oldest religious foundations in that town. From the mid-19th c. authors writing on the history of the town stressed the antiquity of the church, linking its origins with the... more
St Adalbert’s church at Zawodzie in Kalisz was one of the oldest religious foundations in that town. From the mid-19th c. authors writing on the history of the town stressed the antiquity of the church, linking its origins with the legendary stay of St Adalbert in Kalisz. The thesis about the ancient origin of the church and the parish was supported by using a range of sources, interpreted in accordance with the previously made assumptions. In the 20th c. no attempt was made to reinterpret the available written sources, and analyses were based on the dedication of the church and the history of the early settlement.The excavations conducted around the church in 1959 were not properly documented and their results were not taken into account in later publications. However, results of recent excava-tions (2017–2018) prove without any doubt that the church was founded later that it was assumed. A new analysis of written sources has shown that as late as in the 1290s Zawodzie was owned by the duke while the church was first mentioned in 1292. Archaeological finds indicate that the church was built in the location of a settlement that had still functioned in the 12th c., and the features uncovered can be dated to the 13th c. Written sources contradict the existence of a separate parish in this place, confirming that St Adalbert’s church at Zawodzie was connected with The Holy Virgin parish i Kalisz.
