St Martin's Church in Cieszowa

The wooden parish church of St Martin stands in Cieszowa, in Koszęcin municipality, and is part of the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesian Voivodeship. The present church was completed in 1751.

History and construction

A chapel of St Martin is mentioned here in 1679, and the first church on this site, an Evangelical one, was built in 1598. The building of 1751 is oriented, with log walls and a post-frame tower on the north side. The tower is clad with boards and topped with an octagonal cap with a lantern. The saddle roof is covered with shingles, and soboty (galleries) run around the church. The chancel is closed on three sides, and on the north a sacristy with a patron's box adjoins it.

Interior

The high altar is Neo-Gothic, with a painting of St Martin, and the side altars are Baroque, from the 18th century. The music choir rests on four carved columns. The organ was built in 1770 by Gottfried Wilhelm Scheffler and extended in 1869 by Anton Czopka of Olesno. Beneath the nave is a crypt in which, until 1960, the former owners of the village were laid to rest, and to the south lies a cemetery. The building is entered in the heritage register.

Practical information

• Address: Kościelna 1, Cieszowa.
• Nearby lies the Jewish cemetery in Cieszowa.
• The rules for entering the interior are best checked with the parish.