Church of St Bartholomew the Apostle in Chlina

The Church of St Bartholomew the Apostle in Chlina is a parish church built in 1845-1848 on the site of an earlier church and entered in the heritage register in 2008. It is built of limestone and plastered, and its form is restrained.

History

The church was consecrated only on 21 June 1885 by the Bishop of Kielce Tomasz Kuliński. In 1867 a free-standing belfry was built beside it. A fire in 1930 destroyed the roofs, ceilings and choir loft. The reconstruction in 1930-1932 was carried out to a design by the architect Adam Mrzycki, who used false vaults in the nave and chancel, enlarged the windows and introduced new stained glass.

Architecture and interior

The church has a single nave and a narrower chancel with a straight end wall, with a sacristy on the south and a porch on the west. Above the nave rises a turret with a tall helm. The music gallery rests on two columns. After the fire, elements from earlier churches survived: the 18th-century main altar with a painting of Our Lady with the Child and a painting of St Bartholomew on the sliding panel, and the side altars of St Joseph and St Anne with Mary and Child (Anna Samotrzeć).

Practical information

• Address: Chlina 55.
• Nearby lies Udórz Castle, about 3.5 km from the church.
• It is worth checking the rules for visiting the interior with the parish.