St Barbara's Church in Góra

St Barbara's Church in Góra, a village in the Miedźna municipality, is a wooden church built as a small branch chapel. It lies on the Pszczyna loop of the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesian Voivodeship.

From chapel to church

The chapel was probably built in the second half of the 16th century, and the heritage register dates the building to the 17th century. In 1580-1628 it belonged to the Calvinists. Originally it was a small building closed on several sides, of the Lesser Poland type, with boarded walls and a post-built tower with a lantern added. In 1950 the church was extended: the tower was moved, a wider nave was added, and the tower's spire was replaced with a wooden tent roof.

Construction

The building is oriented and of log construction, partly on a brick foundation. The former chapel now serves as the chancel, closed on three sides, and a masonry sacristy adjoins it on the north. Around the chancel and nave run open galleries (soboty) supported on posts with braces, and the walls above them are clad with boards. The roofs and the tower are covered with shingles. The furnishings have survived in a modest form: from earlier times come an altar cross from the 18th century and two crucifixes from the 19th century, one Baroque and one folk. There is a cemetery around the church.

Nearby

In Góra and in neighbouring villages stand other historic churches, among them St Pope Clement's Church in Miedźna. A few kilometres away, in Wilamowice, is the Museum of Wilamowice Culture.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Kościelna 32, Góra, Miedźna municipality.
• The church is active. It is worth checking with the parish before your visit whether you can see the interior.
• It is best seen from the outside, with the galleries and the tower.