History
The church in Witkowo, recorded in 1229 as Tychow, and in 1373 as Witichow, was built around the middle of the 15th century, originally dedicated to St. Peter. It probably stood on the site of an older temple, because in 1380 the local parson Jakob Rose was noted. At the end of the 15th century, the late-medieval building was enlarged with a tower. In the early modern period, probably in the 18th century, the whole building was renovated and modernized. Subsequent works were carried out in the nineteenth century and in 1935, when the interior was painted. After the Second World War, the church was consecrated under the new dedication of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Architecture
The church was built of erratic stones and bricks used in the eastern gable and in the tower. It received the form of an aisleless structure, built on a rectangular plan with a four-sided tower added to the nave from the west, as a typical example of rural architecture in the areas of Western Pomerania in the late Middle Ages. Despite the simple layout, the eastern gable was given a very decorative form, divided into pyramidal, pointed, bipartite blendes, in the upper part filled with round panels (the gable was based on the decoration of the northern tower of the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Stargard). The upper parts of the tower façade were also decorated with longitudinal belndes. The interior of the nave was covered with a wooden flat ceiling.
Current state
The church has retained its original layout from the late Middle Ages, distorted only by a stylless porch on the south side. Unfortunately, the nave’s windows were rebuilt in the early modern period, when their segmental arches were made. The original pointed opening is partially visible only above the classicist framing of the entrance. The pride of the church is the decorative eastern gable, the late-medieval tower is also worth attention.
bibliography:
Jarzewicz J., Architektura średniowieczna Pomorza Zachodniego, Poznań 2019.
Katalog zabytków powiatu stargardzkiego, red. M.Majewski, tom II, Stargard 2010.
Lemcke H., Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler des Regierungsbezirks Stettin, Der Kreis Pyritz, Stettin 1906.