It is beautiful and refined. Merged with park greenery, it is a picturesque element of transient domestic landscape. Over centuries, it was a private chapel, a property of the owners of the estate: only in 1945, along with a separated section of the park, it was handed over to the parish of Proszowice as an auxiliary church.

History

Górka had been owned since the 16th century by Cracow Dominicans as a prebendary of the collegiate church of St Giles. It is said that it was donated to Dominicans by Feliks Czerski. According to tradition, the chapel was founded in 1583, however the inspection of 1583 does not confirm its existence. In 17th century, the chapel is references a number of times, as a private church owned by Dominicans, without the right to hold public Masses. It is not known when the surviving building was created, but the 17th century is not excluded. In the 19th century, its remains were in private hands. A major renovation took place in 1855. After 1945, the estate belonged to the family of Sklenarski, and the chapel was open to the residents of the village. It was renovated owing to the efforts of the local social committee in 1958. In the next years, it was used as a catechetical room, and occasional services were held in it. In 1990s, further conservation works were carried out, under strict supervision of expert conservators.

Description

The chapel is located in a manor house park, on a hill; the area is traditionally separated by a hedge and open to the faithful. The building is small, erected on a square floor plan, and covered with weatherboards. It is topped by a high tented roof, clad with wood shingles and passing into a quadrangular lantern with an analogical roof. The structural solution of the roofs is interesting: the ceiling and the roof truss rest on crossed crossbeams, and their resting points and the walls are reinforced by supports. On the side of the front façade, there is a pronounced openwork vestibule covered with a saddle roof; its little gable is adorned by a bent board and IHS hierogram, above which there was a forged little lantern, once with a candle. Interesting elements of architectural detail include wide door framed with jambs and an old lock in it; from inside, the entrance is adorned by Baroque carving decoration, possible transferred from some altar. Inside, there are three miniature altarpieces. The central one, in a Mannerist frame, incorporates a painting of the Holy Mother with Child, which is very crude. Its background is covered with cloth. Side altars with paintings of Dominican saints show features of provincial Baroque. Among the interesting artefacts, not so long ago two board paintings could be seen here, probably created still in the 17th century, depicting St Giles and St Dominic - a clear indication of the historical affiliation of the chapel. Apart from them, the fittings included two beautifully sculptured candlesticks shaped as angels with cornucopia, probably from the 18th century. Unfortunately - in 1991 - the paintings and candlesticks were stolen.

The church is accessible during services (couple of times a year); the key is stored in house no. 66.

compiled by Roman Marcinek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Krakow, 20-03-2015.

Bibliography

• R. Brykowski, M. Kornecki, Drewniane kościoły w Małopolsce Południowej, Ossolineum 1984, s. 86.
• KZSwP, I, Województwo Krakowskie, wyd. 2, Warszawa 1953
• M. Kornecki, Biuletyn „Kościoły drewniane” nr 9/1993.