St Martin's Church in Ćwiklice

The wooden Church of St Martin in Ćwiklice in Pszczyna County is one of the oldest log-built churches in Silesia. It lies on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesian Voivodeship, in the Pszczyna loop.

How old is the church in Ćwiklice

The first mention of a church at this site dates from 1326. The present building was raised on the foundations of an earlier church. For a long time it was believed that this happened at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, but studies of the timber in the roof truss point to the years 1464-1466. Together with the church in Łaziska, it is probably the oldest Silesian wooden church of log construction. The heritage register dates the building to 1460-1470.

The building was made in the Gothic style, was rebuilt in the 18th century, and renovations at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries distorted its original shape. In 2010 a flood destroyed the sills and the floor.

What the building looks like

The church is oriented. The chancel ends in a straight wall; on the north side a porch was added, the former sacristy, and on the south a timber-framed sacristy and a later chapel. Above the nave and the chancel run gable roofs covered with shingles. On the west side stands a post-built tower with a bulbous spire and a lantern.

What is inside

The furnishings date from the mid-18th century. The church has three late Baroque altars: the main one with St Martin in the painting, and two side altars, of Our Lady and of the Crucifixion. The side chapel holds a 15th-century triptych with the Virgin and Child, under the tower there is a small altar of St Barbara, and the door to the chapel has 16th-century fittings and locks. Late 17th-century polychromy has survived on the walls. The present organ was built in 1982, while the earlier one, from around 1880, went to the Museum of Silesian Organs at the Academy of Music in Katowice.

It is about 3 km in a straight line from here to Pszczyna, with Pszczyna Castle.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Aleksandra Zawadzkiego, Ćwiklice (Pszczyna municipality).
• The church is in use as a parish church; the opening times of the interior should be checked with the parish.