Churches and monasteries
a wooden church in a clearing by the Main Beskid Trail, rebuilt after a fire
Churches and monasteries
a wooden church from 1779 moved from Upper Silesia to the Kubalonka pass
Churches and monasteries
Baroque church of 1794 with paintings and polychromes by Jan Wałach and lamps shaped like oboniki
Churches and monasteries
Churches and monasteries
an Evangelical church from 1927-1930 to a design by Tadeusz Michejda
Churches and monasteries
a wooden votive chapel of 1923 with an altar carved by its founder
Churches in Istebna: the Baroque Church of the Good Shepherd, wooden churches on mountain meadows and the chapel in Bucznik.
The Beskid village has six places of worship, including three wooden churches and a wooden chapel. Together they show highlander culture, buildings brought from other places and the story of local Lutherans.
Begin at the Church of the Good Shepherd in the middle of the village. The Baroque brick building went up in 1792-1794. The interior makes the strongest impression: religious art intertwines with highlander culture, and Jan Wałach and members of the Konarzewski family contributed the decoration.
For comparison with other places in the region see churches and monasteries in Silesia, and for a general overview of the village go to Istebna.
The Church of the Good Shepherd was consecrated on 24 August 1794. A chapel from 1720 had stood on this spot earlier, and today it counts among the oldest brick buildings in Istebna.
The Lutheran church went up in 1927-1930 following plans by Tadeusz Michejda. Bishop Juliusz Bursche blessed its cornerstone on 7 August 1927 and the church was consecrated in 1930. The Lutheran parish has stood on its own since 1967.
The Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Stecówka stands on a mountain meadow crossed by the Main Beskid Trail. It was built in 1957-1958 as a chapel and was rebuilt after a fire in 2013.
The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Kubalonka dates from 1779 and did not originate in the Beskids at all: it was built for the parish of Przyszowice near Gliwice and moved to Istebna in 1957.
The Church of St Joseph in the hamlet of Mlaskawka was raised in Jaworzynka in 1947-1948 and set up again in Istebna in 1997. It lies on the regional trail of timber churches.
The Chapel of Our Lady Queen of the Polish Crown by regional road no. 941 is a wooden votive chapel from 1923. Ludwik Konarzewski senior designed and funded it, grateful for his return from exile in the Urals during the First World War. The founder carved the altar himself.
The churches lie in different hamlets: Stecówka, Kubalonka, Mlaskawka and Bucznik. Treat them as a driving route or part of a longer mountain outing. In spare time look at museums in Istebna or the page on sport and recreation in Istebna.
Three are listed: Our Lady of Fatima, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Kubalonka and St Joseph. A wooden chapel in Bucznik joins them.
From Przyszowice near Gliwice. It was built in 1779 and moved to the Beskids in 1957.
The one built in 1927-1930 to a design by Tadeusz Michejda.
The Main Beskid Trail crosses the meadow where the Church of Our Lady of Fatima stands.
