Chapel in Kiełbasów

The chapel in Kiełbasów is a wooden Roman Catholic chapel in a forest, in the part of the village of Świnna right on the border with Pewla Mała. It stands at the north-eastern foot of the peak Gawraniec, by the Raztoka stream.

How it came about

In the 1930s Rudolf Messer, forester of the Żywiec town forests, decided that Pewla Mała needed a chapel for foresters, hikers and residents. The building was put up in the shell state, and its finishing was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. The construction was completed in 1947 by Aleksander Olszowski, a State Forests forester. The wooden figure of Our Lady of the Forest on the altar was made by his uncle and namesake, who taught at the Kenar art school in Zakopane.

The visits of Karol Wojtyła

Karol Wojtyła regularly looked in at the chapel. He first prayed in it in 1970, and the last recorded visit was on 1 May 1978. Next to the chapel grows the John Paul II oak, planted on 28 April 2004 from seeds of the Bolesław the Brave oak brought back from a pilgrimage and blessed by the pope; a plaque gives this information.

Practical information

• Location: forest in Kiełbasów (Świnna), at the border with Pewla Mała, by the Raztoka stream.
• The chapel is reached through the forest; the marking of the route, the opening hours and access to the interior are best checked with the parish.
• It is about 8 km from here to Żywiec, where it is worth looking in at the City Museum in Żywiec.