Unfortunately, many valuable artefacts constituting church’s fittings were stolen, and a couple of precious paintings were relocated to the Diocese Museum in Tarnów. The church is located on the Wooden Architecture Route of Małopolska.

History

Initially, there was a church in the village, which was built in the 16th century and consecrated in 1624; it was founded by a knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Jan Niewiarowski. The church survived until 1678. The present church of St Mary Magdalene was created in 1678. Two years later, a tower was added to it, which was converted approx. in 1760. It was an auxiliary church, belonging to the parish in Skrzydlna. From 1804 on, as of the moment of official establishment of the local parish, the church performed the role of a parish church. This role was discontinued in 1987, after construction of a new church. As the first parish priest, Wojciech Kalatowicz was appointed. A comprehensive renovation of the church is under way.

Description

The church is a single-single nave building with a chancel terminating in a polygon, built with the use of a log structure. The exterior walls are covered with vertically-positioned weatherboards. Two annexes and a porch with an ogee gable adjoin the church’s body. The complex also includes a quadrangular tower with a bell storey, built with the use of a post-and-beam structure. The tower is topped by a bulbous cupola with a lantern, made of wood shingles. The nave and the chancel are covered by a shared multi-faceted wood shingle roof, topped with a steeple turret. The ceilings are flat, with upper side logs (in the nave). Painted decorations are Baroque in style. They contain figural and ornamental elements, among other things over the vestibule under the tower, scenes form the history of the Dominican Order are depicted. The late Baroque altarpieces were made in the 19th century. The main one incorporates a sculpture of St Magdalene and St Peter and St Paul. On the walls, there are Stations of the Cross from the 17th century. On the rood beam, there is a crucifix and Baroque figures of the Virgin Mary and St John from the 17th century, cut from boards. Also the wall baptismal font from the 17th century is also worth attention. The pipe organ from 1835, made in the workshop of Marcin Pcimski, is also interesting. The Stations of the Cross are painted on canvas (1888). With the church, the painting of Our Lady of Bochnia was associated, transferred today to a new church. The church is circumscribed by fencing made of local stone, covered with a gable skirt roof clad with wood shingles. On the church square, there are trees - natural monuments.

The monument is open to visitors. Week days: 7:00. Saturdays: summer: 19:00, winter - 16:00 Sundays and holidays: July - August: 7:00, 9:00, 10:30, September and June: 15:30. It is open in the summer (01.05-30.09.2015), as part of the Wooden Architecture Route.

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

Bibliography

• [M. Kornecki], Kościoły Diecezji Tarnowskiej [w:] Rocznik Diecezji Tarnowskiej, Tarnów 1972,
• D. Dyląg, P. Sadowski, Beskid Myślenicki: przewodnik. Pruszków 2005.
• G. Ruszczyk, Drewniane kościoły w Polsce 1918-1939, Warszawa 2001,
• M. Michniewska, A. Michniewski, M. Duda, P. Luboński, Kościoły drewniane Karpat - Polska i Słowacja: przewodnik. Białystok 2006
• P. Skoczek: Parafie Ziemi Limanowskiej. Proszówki 2009,