Church of Saints Simon and Jude Thaddeus in Żarki

The Church of the Holy Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddeus in Żarki is a brick parish church from the early 16th century, standing on Leśniowska Street. It belongs to the Żarki deanery of the Archdiocese of Częstochowa.

History

The church was built in 1518-1522, endowed by Marcin Myszkowski, castellan of Wieluń. In 1702 it was destroyed by fire, but soon afterwards it was rebuilt thanks to the efforts of the then owners of Żarki, the Męciński family. The building acquired its final form in the mid-19th century.

Architecture and interior

The oriented church has on the west side a square tower covered with a two-storey Baroque spire. The wide nave is widened by two chapels, of St Adalbert and of the Holy Cross, and the narrower chancel is closed by a semicircular apse. On the roof of the nave stands a turret for the sanctus bell. In the interior are late Baroque altars, and in the main one a painting of the Transfiguration with figures of the patron saints. On the walls hang gravestones and commemorative plaques, among them a plaque from 1894 recalling the services to Żarki of the Kraków entrepreneur Piotr Steinkeller.

The church honours Blessed Ludwik Roch Gietyngier, a priest from Żarki who died a martyr's death in the German camp at Dachau.

Nearby

Right next door, about two hundred metres away, stands the synagogue in Żarki, and the Museum of Old Crafts is less than a kilometre away. A little further on, in Leśniów, is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Leśniów.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Leśniowska 1, Żarki.
• The church is active; the rules for visiting the interior are given by the parish.