The aim of this research report is to present the latest findings on the history of the wooden church at Tarnowo Pałuckie near Wągrowiec in Wielkopolska. Tarnowo Pałuckie is a small village on the northern side of Lake Rgielskie along the route from Wągrowiec to Łękno and Pomerania. It was first mentioned in a written source in 1218. Its wooden Church of St Nicolas, which has been the inspiration of many a legend and tale of mystery, is situated on a small hill. Excavations underneath the present church (Tarnowo II, Site T 22) revealed the remains of the foundations of an earlier church (Tarnowo I). They were exposed in the eastern and northern part of the chancel and the north-western part of the nave of Tarnowo II. In other parts of the church the remains were destroyed by later tomb digs. The full, reconstructed length of Tarnowo I was 9.7 m. Taking into account the possibility of subsequent displacement of the foundation stones the length of the church (nave plus chancel) amounted to c. 10 m. It was an oriented, aisleless church with a slightly narrower, rectangular chancel.In the course of the excavations it was also possible to establish some new facts concerning the chronology of Tarnowo II. Dendrochronological analyses suggest that the church Tarnowo II, so far thought to date back to the 1630s, was in fact built in the last quarter of the 14th century. The bulk of the nave and the external walls of the sacristy were built of wood that had been cut in the autumn/winter 1373-1374 and the last two decades of the 14th century. The trussed roof over the sacristy was reconstructed in 1615-1616, while the roofing over the nave was replaced in 1628-1629. The church tower was built in 1638-1639 judging by the carved date of its completion (1639) that has been found on the lintel. The tower underwent major repairs in 1833; another major overhaul most probably took place in the first third of the 17th century (prior to 1632). The dendrochronological analyses make it fairly certain that the present St Nicolas’s Church at Tarnowo Pałuckie (Tarnowo II) dates back to the last quarter of the 14th century. Consequently, as there are no similar buildings of earlier provenance (with the body basically intact), it must be the oldest extant wooden church in Poland. Its origins are most probably connected with King Casimir the Great’s charter of 1370, which established Tarnowo as a fledgling town in accordance with the law of Magdeburg. For a number of reasons, however, Tarnowo failed to develop into a town.St Nicolas’s Church, or Tarnowo II (in its present state) is an oriented, cross-logged wooden church. On the northern side an asymmetrically positioned sacristy leans onto the chancel. The western side is dominated by a columnar tower erected on a rectangular plan; its basement houses a porch.The church has a richly appointed interior with three altars. The main altar is dedicated to the BMV of the Ascension, of the two side altars one is dedicated to St Margaret. The most precious element of the church s interior both in terms of historical and artistic value — is a series of wall-paintings (currently restored), which depict episodes from the lives of St Margaret and St Nicolas as well as scenes from the Old and New Testament. Christocentrism and the cult of the Virgin Mary, two themes central to the Cistercian calling, provided the key for the selection of the Biblical scenes. The style of the paintings varies considerably; so does their age. Most of them seem to date back to early 17th century (before 1632?). Some have obviously been repainted much later (eg. the balustrade of the choir). However, what is even more intriguing, underneath the present pictures there are traces of earlier paintings, eg. of a geometrical ornament in the chancel. It is already clear that the Church of St Nicolas at Tarnowo belongs to the most outstanding examples of historic wooden architecture in Poland.