Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Stara Wieś

A wooden parish church on a small hill in the centre of Stara Wieś, surrounded by a cemetery to which stone steps lead. It is a monument entered in the register, and a parish in the village is known as early as 1326.

History of the building

The present church was begun in 1522, funded by Krzysztof Biberstein-Starowiejski, and consecrated in 1530. In the 17th century a tower was added. In 1787 the roof covering was replaced, a bell turret appeared, and the tower and interior were rebuilt. The tower was given its final shape in 1883, and in 1926 the wall between the nave and the tower was cut out and a music gallery with a new organ was built. In 2009-2012 the wall paintings in the chancel from the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries were uncovered and conserved.

Structure and appearance

The church is oriented, of log construction. The nave and the narrower, lower chancel are closed on three sides and covered with a shingle roof, and above the nave stands an openwork bell turret with an onion-shaped dome. The roof slopes over the nave are spread more widely, a feature of the Silesian type of wooden building. The tower has a post-and-frame construction and a wide overhanging upper storey. Around the walls run sobotas (low wooden arcades) with the Stations of the Cross, and beneath them on the north stand sandstone tombstones, originally placed inside the church. White carved details decorate the windows, portals and porch.

Inside

The interior is covered with a flat ceiling. In 1787 the painter Foryciński painted imitation marble cornices and pilasters on the walls of the nave and chancel; two Baroque side altars date from the same year. In the high altar a late Gothic painting of the Virgin Mary with St Catherine and St Barbara has been preserved, left over from a 16th-century triptych. Late Gothic wooden portals with an ogee profile lead from the sacristy to the chancel and from the south to the nave.

Nearby

Closest you will find the Museum of Wilamowice Culture, and in neighbouring Wilamowice the Church of the Most Holy Trinity.

Practical information

• Address: Jana Kochanowskiego 2, Stara Wieś (Wilamowice municipality).
• The church stands in the centre of the village, on a hill surrounded by a cemetery.
• The rules for visiting the interior must be arranged with the parish, because it is an active church.