St James the Apostle's Church in Sączów

St James the Apostle's Church in Sączów is the third church of a parish whose beginnings go back to 1224. The present brick building was erected in 1850-1872 in an eclectic style with Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic elements, to a design by an architect named Liche. The church is entered in the heritage register.

Three churches on one site

The first, wooden church was built in 1220-1224 by the comes Andrzej and consecrated by the bishop of Kraków, Iwo Odrowąż. It burnt down at the end of the 14th century, and a church of white stone was built in its place. When that fell into poor condition, the parishioners, led by the parish priest Raymund Biernawski, built the present one.

Interior

The church has a cross plan and two chapels with Renaissance altars: of Our Lady of the Rosary and of St Sebastian. The late Renaissance high altar dates from 1595 and contains a painting of Our Lady of Grace from 1671, and a painting of the patron saint, painted by pupils of the Matejko school, is placed in the uppermost tier. The pulpit is from the 18th century, and the organ from 1870 was made in a workshop descended from the Blomberg school.

The Ways of St James

At the church meet the Way of St James Via Regia, running from east to west, and the Jasna Góra Way of St James, linking Jasna Góra with Piekary Śląskie. The parish keeps first-class relics of St James, attested in 1779 by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. In 2024 the creation of the Diocesan Shrine of St James here was announced.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Szkolna 1, Sączów.
• Nearby lies Kozłowa Góra.