Church of the Holy Trinity and St Florian in Zawiercie

The Church of the Holy Trinity and St Florian stands in Skarżyce, a district of Zawiercie, on ulica Skarżycka. It is a historic stone church consecrated in 1598, with a rarely seen layout of three round chapels. It is also a Marian shrine.

Three chapels and a tower

After the consecration in 1598, three chapels were added in 1610, and the auxiliary bishop of Kraków, Mikołaj Oborski, consecrated the church again in 1678. The three round chapels symbolise the Holy Trinity. By the façade stands a tower with a broken roof and a four-sided turret for the sanctus bell, with windows on three sides and, lower down, small loopholes. The towers of the chapels are linked by stone walls. The middle chapel houses the chancel with a wooden, gilded high altar in the Neoclassical style and a painting of the Holy Trinity. The heritage register describes the style of the building as Baroque.

Shrine and furnishings

In 1999 the archbishop of Częstochowa raised the church to the dignity of the shrine of Our Lady of Skarżyce. The object of veneration is a painting of the Virgin and Child in the left side altar, according to tradition from the early 17th century, a replica of the Roman painting of Our Lady of the Snows. The painting was later crowned. The historic furnishings include a monstrance, a chalice with an inscription about its remodelling in 1777, a 17th-century ciborium in a silver setting and chasubles from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Practical information

• Location: ul. Skarżycka, Zawiercie-Skarżyce.
• It is an active church and shrine. Check the rules of visiting with the parish before your visit.
• Nearby: Morsko Castle and Zborów Hill.