Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Istebna

The Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Istebna-Stecówka is a wooden parish church in a mountain clearing through which the Main Beskid Trail passes. It was built in 1957-1958 as a chapel, and after a fire in 2013 it was rebuilt.

From chapel to parish church

The mountain chapel within the area of the Jesus the Good Shepherd parish was built by local carpenters in 1957-1958 and consecrated on 12 January 1958. In 1959 a tower and a sacristy were added. In 1971 the chapel received a rector, and since 29 January 1981 it has been a parish church. In 2011 a wedding scene for the film "Och, Karol 2" was shot here.

The fire and rebuilding

On the night of 2 to 3 December 2013 the church largely burned down. Firefighters saved part of the furnishings and the tabernacle, and part of the walls also survived. Rebuilding began the same year, and the new church has a similar shape and slightly larger dimensions. Since 2016 it has again served as a parish church.

Architecture and furnishings

The old church had a log construction on a masonry foundation and a gable shingle roof, with a small square tower on the log frame of the nave. The main entrance from the west was decorated with a triangular gable. Next to it stands a small bell tower, also clad in shingles.

The furnishings of the old church were made by local artists. The painting of Our Lady of Fatima from 1957 was painted by Jan Wałach of Andziołówka, the frame of the painting and the tabernacle came from the workshop of Ludwik Konarzewski junior, and the sculpture of Christ, the bas-relief of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Stations of the Cross were made by Jan Krężelok of Koniaków. The altar, rails and holy water stoup were prepared by the carver Józef Bocek, and the stained glass by Teresa Stankiewicz. The description concerns the church before the fire; after the rebuilding the interior may have changed.

The Wooden Architecture Trail

The church is on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesian Voivodeship, in the Beskid loop. In the area lie the Mountain Tourism Museum on Przysłop below Barania Góra and Kurna Chata Kawuloka.

Practical information

• Address: Istebna 955, Istebna-Stecówka.
• It is an active parish church, so visiting the interior is limited during services.
• Service times are given by the parish; check them before your visit.