Church of the Holy Trinity in Koszęcin

The wooden Church of the Holy Trinity in Koszęcin was built in 1724 on the site of an older church from the 16th century. It is a pilgrimage church entered in the heritage register and lies on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesian Voivodeship.

A place of apparitions and the legend of the oak

Chronicle records link the location of the church with a story of an apparition. Wiktoria, the daughter of a local miller, was said to have seen three children at this spot, by an oak, who asked for a small church to be built. The original church, probably built in 1568, was destroyed by a storm in 1720. The present church is its successor.

The stump of the legendary oak stands to the left of the high altar. It is about two metres tall, and according to the chronicles a cross was cut from it, from which until 1720 a thin layer was cut off every year for miniature crosses sold at pilgrimage festivals. Beside the church there is also a wooden chapel over a spring, with a figure of St John the Baptist, to which its former function has been restored. The story of the apparitions is told in an eight-scene painting from 1564 with verse captions.

Construction and interior

The church is oriented, of log construction, set on a foundation of stone and brick. The chancel closes on three sides, above the sacristy there is a patron's gallery with external stairs, and around the building runs an open arcade under a shingle roof. All the roofs are covered with shingles. The taller tower in the west has a post construction and slightly sloping walls clad with boards, while the lower, octagonal one above the chancel holds a ridge bell.

The decor dates from the first half of the 18th century. The high altar is Baroque, the left side altar is dedicated to St Anne with the Virgin and Child, and the right one is decorated with a figure of St John of Nepomuk. The choir gallery is supported by four ornamental posts, and on it stands an organ from 1886. The high altar once held about 30 sculptures from the early 16th century, of which more than a third were stolen and the rest were transferred to the Archdiocesan Museum in Katowice.

Nearby

In Koszęcin it is worth combining a visit with the palace, which stands less than two kilometres away: Palace in Koszęcin. The other church in the village is the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Koszęcin, much younger than the wooden one.

Practical information

• Village: Koszęcin, Lubliniec County.
• A pilgrimage church; the interior is made available by the parish, and current information about visiting is given on the parish website.
• During services, visiting the interior is limited.