About St. Martin's Collegiate Church, Opatów
Religion, Churches, Interesting Places, Catholic Churches
The Collegiate church of Saint Martin in Opatow is the Romanesque church of Saint Martin of Tours placed in Opatów, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in Poland. It is the most valuable monument in Opatow, and has been described as one of the most precious relics of Roman architecture in Poland. The church possesses the status of collegiate church: the first mention by canons from Opatów comes from the year 1206. It is not known who was the real founder of this temple. Several people claim, according to Jan Długosz, that the son of Bolesław Krzywousty, the duke Henryk Sandomierski and crusader, built the monastery for use by Knights Templar from Jerusalem. Others attribute the church to the Cistercians, the Benedictines, or to Alojzy Dunin, the son of famous Peter.
