East of Śródka, at the fork of the roads to Śrem and Giecz, stood a church of St Michael with a pilgrims' hospice that Mieszko III and the bishop of Poznań had set up (on 6 May 1170, according to Długosz).
In 1187 church and hospice were granted to the Hospitallers, with land to the east and south (today's Komandoria and Lake Malta). The knights are building a new brick church about 1200, later dedicated to St John of Jerusalem: the house of a permanent order with its own master, its own supply and no minorities.
Who he is
- Name
- The brethren of the Hospital (head of the house in 1200 not named)
- Title
- The Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem: its house (later commandery) at Poznań
- Since
- 1187
- Born
- n/a
- Family
- n/a
- Confidence
- high
en.wikipedia, Church of St John of Jerusalem Outside the Walls
Overlord
The Order's prior (in Bohemia and Poland: not pinned); the duke as founder and protector
What it holds
- St Michael's church and the hospice by Śródka
- Land east and south of the church
How it was acquired
Grant of 1187.
Allies and rivals
Mieszko III's foundation; the bishop of Poznań.
How things stand that morning
In possession; building the new church.
Wealth
The hospice, the land, alms of pilgrims and crusaders on the road east.
Military
None recorded locally.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The 1187 grant and the building are reported by en.wikipedia from the standard literature.
On the map: A disc stands for the church and its land.
Primary sources for Greater Poland
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of the Poles, by Master Vincent (Wincenty Kadłubek), Wincenty Kadłubek (about 1190 to 1208). Book 4 is a contemporary's account of the fight for the senior throne of Kraków. Read online
- The annals of the Kraków chapter and the other Polish annals (kept from the 11th century; the Kraków chapter annals continued to 1266). Short dated entries that fix the chronology Kadłubek blurs: the deaths of dukes and bishops, Mieszko the Old's captures of Kraków, Prussian raids on Masovia, church consecrations. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.