Church of St Michael the Archangel in Żernica

The Church of St Michael the Archangel in Żernica is a wooden church from 1661, standing on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesian Voivodeship. The interior polychromes date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

History

The village was chartered in 1246 and from 1283 belonged to the Cistercians of Rudy. The present church was built in 1661 on the initiative of the abbot of Rudy, Andreas Emanuel Pospel. The bell tower is older, as its log frame dates from 1518. After a new church was built in Żernica in 1970, the old one fell into decay until a thorough renovation was carried out in 1998-2008. It was blessed again on 28 September 2008.

Structure and interior

The church has a log construction, is built mainly of fir wood on a stone foundation, and the roofs are covered with shingles. The high altar of 1648 depicts St Michael the Archangel, and the pulpit dates from 1671. The polychromes, uncovered and conserved in 2001-2008, cover almost all the walls and ceilings, and in the sacristy stand cupboards from 1691.

Practical information

• Address: Leopolda Miki 3, Żernica. The church stands on a hill, and remnants of a 19th-century park survive around it.
• Services are held here and it can be visited; check dates with the parish.
• In Gliwice, a few kilometres away, is the Piast Castle.