Historical manuscript discovered in Polish church pulpit

During restoration work at the Church of St. Stephen the Martyr in Ciachcin, Poland, conservators discovered a 140-year-old handwritten manuscript hidden inside a decorative element of the historic pulpit.

The document, which serves as a historical time capsule, was written by Father Józef Strusiński, the parish priest from 1865 to 1892. The parchment details the completion of the church in 1884 and provides specific information regarding the creation of the main altar and the pulpit. According to the records, these items were crafted in Płock at the workshop of Marceli Leoniak, involving various woodworking, sculpting, and gilding processes.

Beyond construction dates, the manuscript lists the names of the individual craftsmen involved, including carpenters, sculptors, gilders, and apprentices. It also identifies the church's benefactors, specifically Antoni Klimkiewicz and his wife, Józefa. After being documented and copied, the original parchment was returned to its hiding place, and restorers added a new message detailing the 21st-century conservation efforts to be found by future generations.