History

The parish of equestrian foundation was established before 1335 by Wacław Wojak; the church was built in 1363. At the end of the 17th century, the church in Wojakowa was desecrated by the Polish Brethren (Arians). Initially, the Wojakowa parish belonged to the archdeaconry of the Kraków Diocese. In 1751, together with the Lipnica deanery, it was incorporated into the Wojnicz archdeaconry. In 1784, after the dissolution of the Lipnica deanery, the parish was incorporated into the Brześć deanery. In 1916 the church was in a poor condition, even “doomed to destruction” according to the account of the Rev. F. Koper. In the years 1930-1931, the church was dismantled, except for the chancel. An interesting architectural element is the belfry tower, probably erected in the 18th century, harmoniously fitting into the compact body of the church and complementing the picturesque, shingled complex. Erected on a square plan, in a post-and-frame technology, with vertical boarded walls, the temple was divided by an eaves into two levels; the upper one, slightly narrower, housed a bell mezzanine. The tower was demolished in 1928. After long-lasting works, the church was re-consecrated by Bishop Michał Blecharczyk, the suffragan of Tarnów, on 22 May 1960.

Description

The original church was a Gothic building of quarry stone. The chancel is closed on three sides with an adjoining sacristy and a square nave. The whole complex was supported by prominent, diagonal buttresses at the corners. They were covered with shingles and survived until the 20th century. Feliks Kopera also mentions a wooden tower, its cupola being a quadrilateral cone. It lower eaves formed a shaft, then again changing into the oblique plane of the cone, then a gooseneck and finally the wall enclosing the whole of the unbroken pyramid with slightly concave walls, on which a cross is installed. A new body designed by Józef Wojtyga was added to the chancel surviving the 1932 demolition. During construction, the design was changed four times to enlarge the interior. As a result, a styleless effect was achieved. The original chancel was renovated in 1953, but with a significant modification of motifs and details. The quarry stone chancel had its newer part made of dimension stone. The side chapels resemble a transept (transverse nave) with galleries to the south and west. The new walls contain two Gothic portals. Little has survived from the old equipment. Among the original equipment, there is a Gothic stone baptismal font or the Baroque main altar with the image of Madonna with Child (in the antependium, there are three primitive yet charming paintings from the 17th century of the Three Maries at the Tomb, the Blessed Virgin Mary with Unicorn and the prophets Solomon and David). A bell from 1687 with a Blessed Virgin Mary emblem has survived. Once it was hung in a wooden and now in a stone, neo-Gothic arcaded belfry from 1960 built according to S. Świszczowski’s design.

The site is accessible to visitors during services or by prior appointment with the parish office. Holy Masses: Sunday at 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 a.m. and 16:00 p.m.; weekdays at 6:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Author of the note Roman Marcinek, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Kraków 20/03/2015

Bibliography

• F. Kopera, L. Lepszy, Kościoły drewniane w Galicji Zachodniej, Kraków 1916
• KZSwP, I, Województwo Krakowskie, wyd. 2, Warszawa 1953.
• M.Kornecki, Kościoły Diecezji Tarnowskiej /in:/ Rocznik Diecezji Tarnowskiej 1972
• M. Kornecki, Dawne drewniane kościoły i dzwonnice w diecezji tarnowskiej, “Currenda”, no. 4-6, Tarnów 1986.