Notable features include the 16th-century tower - an example of pure ecclesiastical design, free from any external influences. In addition, the location of the church, perched atop a hillock and surrounded by a few specimens of ancient trees, is reminiscent of rural traditions and spatial arrangements which manifested themselves in the form of the so-called “sacred groves”, whereby a church surrounded by dense vegetation would tower majestically above the rest of the village.

History

The village of Zamarski is one of the oldest settlements of its kind in the area of the former Duchy of Cieszyn, with the first references to the village in written sources dating back to 1223, when a document issued by Wawrzyniec, the bishop of Wrocław, contains an express mention of Zamarski. The first church to be erected here most likely came into being as early as the 15th century, although it was subsequently lost to the blaze somewhere around the year 1585. After the disaster, only the bell tower was reconstructed. In the 17th century, the building remained under Protestant control and was only reincorporated into the Catholic parish in Cieszyn in 1654. The existing wooden church was added to the old bell tower in 1731 owing to the efforts of Henryk Fryderyk Wilczek, the owner of the village, as well as reverend Franciszek Antoni Świder, the dean of Cieszyn. The Jesuit Order was also known to have made certain contributions to the construction effort. From the moment of its construction until 1773, the church remained in the hands of the Jesuit Order; later on, it took on the role of the filial church of the Cieszyn parish. Today, the church performs the role of the centre of the Hażlach parish. In 1935, the church received its exterior weatherboard cladding, with the most recent conservation works taking place in 2004 and involved the overall renovation of the structure. The church is surrounded by a cemetery, designed on an irregular plan and most likely dating back all the way to the 15th century.

Description

The church is situated at 13 Ogrodowa street, in the village of Zamarski, in the Silesian Foothills, north-east of the city of Cieszyn. Standing at the top of the hill, the church is surrounded by a cemetery. The churchyard is unprotected by any kind of fence or wall, with the church itself standing in the shade of isolated specimens of old trees.

The church is a wooden log structure positioned on brick foundations. Notable features include the 16th-century tower - an example of pure ecclesiastical design, free from any external influences. The church has a compact, single-storey main body with a quadrangular tower - a post-and-beam structure topped with a pronounced bell chamber and crowned with a stout spire. The nave, the chancel and the sacristy share a common gable roof, supported by rafter tails; the skirt roofs on the northern and southern sides of the church are supported by wooden braces, while the eastern side of the church comes equipped with a double skirt roof. The interior follows a simple layout, with a single nave, a chancel with a semi-hexagonal termination and a sacristy in the southern part of the church. The vestibule, opening in three directions, is positioned at the ground-floor level of the tower. The organ gallery is supported by four posts.

The interior fixtures and fittings, designed in the Baroque style, date back to the late 18th-early 19th century. The two Baroque altarpieces from the years 1730-40 originate from the hospital church of St George in Cieszyn and were relocated to the church in Zamarski after 1884. The main altarpiece, adorned with sculpted putti, has been redesigned at a later date and features a rotating tabernacle as well as a sculpted Crucifixion scene surrounded by angels in adoration, designed in the Rococo style. The second altarpiece, dating back to the mid-18th century, features sumptuous sculptural detailing in its left section, in the form of a Late Baroque sculpture of the kneeling John of Nepomuk as well as figurines of angels and a pelican feeding its young; the right-hand side of the altarpiece is occupied by the sculpted ensemble depicting St Anne giving her teachings to the Virgin Mary as well as St Joachim. Another notable item is the lavishly decorated pulpit, designed in the Rococo style.

compiled by Agata Mucha, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Katowice, 29-07-2014.

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, ed. Rejduch-Samkowa I., Samka J., Vol. VI Województwo Katowickie. Issue 3 - Miasto Cieszyn i Powiat Cieszyński. Warsaw 1974
• Pilch J., 2008. Leksykon zabytków architektury Górnego Śląska. Warsaw. Arkady Publishing.
• Londzin J., Kościoły drewniane na Śląsku Cieszyńskim. Cieszyn 1932.
• Michniewska M., Michniewski A., Duda M., 2006. Kościoły drewniane Karpat - Polska i Słowacja : przewodnik. Pruszków. “Rewasz” Publishing.
• Green record sheet. Filial church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (Archive of the Regional Monuments Protection Office - branch office in Bielsko-Biała).