The church of St Mary Magdaleine in was once one of the best examples of gothic architecture in Poznan. This parish (and later collegiate) church was situated in the south-east part of the town near Plac Kolegiacki. The nave was struck by lightening in 1773, part of the church collapsed in 1776 and this was followed by damage caused by a fire in 1780. The remains were demolished in 1802. The church was founded in the thirteenth century at about the same time as the 'location' of the chartered town (probably 1262). It was fundamentally rebuilt in 1388 and further alterations were made in 1442. The church was damaged in a fire which swept the town in 1447. The church was rebuilt in 1470 (in 1471 it became a collegiate church).

Iconographic evidence from the 17th and 18th centuries shows that the town's main church was an impressive seven-bay aisled basilica with no transepts, but a massive western tower. The church was some 70m long and 42m wide. The church had many chapels and altars inside, founded by rich burghers. The floors and walls were covered by many grave slabs and monuments, the church also contained many works of art.

Poznan archaeological Museum's excavation of part of the site aimed to locate precisely the position of the church, to reveal its spatial layout and phases of rebuilding, and to assess the state of preservation of its remains. It was found that the demolition work of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had been very thorough, and that a large area of the presbyterium had been destroyed by a huge water-storage tank dug as an anti-fire precaution at the end of the Second World War.

Remains of the south wall of the church were found, as well as the foundations of two pillars, some 80 burials were found, most in coffins, but two in brick-lined crypts. The wooden coffins were not preserved, but metal fittings show that some were highly-decorated. Anthropological analysis allowed the determination of age, sex and health of these individuals. A number of skeletons exhibited some pathological changes. Clear differences were seen in the state of health between individuals buried within the church from those buried in the churchyard outside, the bones of the latter had more pathological changes. The continuation of the excavations will allow more details of its structure and layout to be revealed.