Kościoły i klasztory: Żywiec

Churches and chapels in Żywiec: a Gothic co-cathedral, the fourteenth-century Church of the Three Crosses and chapels from villages by the lake.

Żywiec has places of worship from the Gothic period to the 1990s, and several chapels tell of villages flooded by the reservoir. You can walk around the centre, while districts such as Sporysz, Zabłocie and Kocurów-Koleby need separate stops.

Which churches in Żywiec should you see first?

Your first stops should be the Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at ulica Zamkowa 6 and the Church of the Holy Cross in Ruda. These are the oldest churches in town.

The co-cathedral is a Gothic church of the fifteenth century, enlarged several times, with a tower bearing a Renaissance gallery and Baroque furnishings; in 1992 it was raised to co-cathedral in the Diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec. The Church of the Holy Cross, from about 1380, nicknamed the Three Crosses church, has figures of the crucified Jesus and the two thieves on the wall of its apse. At ulica Sienkiewicza 76B stands St Mark's Church of 1885, raised on the site of a wooden plague votive church, with a historic cemetery. The cemetery Church of the Transfiguration at ulica Komonieckiego 23 dates from 1850-1856 and was preceded by a wooden chapel founded in 1701 by Andrzej Komoniecki.

What churches stand in the districts of Żywiec?

Twentieth-century churches prevail in the districts, some of them built over several decades.

In Zabłocie, on ulica Browarna, you will find the brick Church of St Florian in the Romanesque style, built with breaks in 1935-1954, and opposite it the Chapel of St Florian from the early nineteenth century. In Sporysz stands the Church of Christ the King, blessed in 1962 by Bishop Karol Wojtyła, with mosaics after designs by Wiktor Zin. In Oczków, on ulica Krakowska, is St Maximilian Kolbe's Church of 1982-1986 with an openwork tower. Moszczanica is served by the Church of Divine Mercy, whose construction started in 1981; it was consecrated in 1999. In Kocurów-Koleby, on ulica Kocurowska, stands the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of 1996.

Which chapels in Żywiec are worth knowing?

The chapels speak of former villages, bell towers and the reservoir that changed some of them.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of 1933 in Kocurów-Koleby was built where a wooden bell tower once stood; do not confuse it with the church of the same dedication in the same district. In Rędzina, on ulica Krakowska, stands the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary built in 1967-1968; it contains an altar from 1708 and Gothic sculptures dating to around 1400. The Chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Sporysz, from 1936-1938, holds a former cross from the co-cathedral. The Chapel of St Vitus in Stary Żywiec is gone: it was blown up in 1964 when the reservoir was built, and only the relocated spring remains. More places can be found under things to do in Żywiec, and the churches and monasteries category opens the way to other towns.

Frequently asked questions

Which Żywiec church goes back furthest?

The Church of the Holy Cross in Ruda, from about 1380, nicknamed the Three Crosses church. It is a branch church of the main parish in town.

Is there a co-cathedral in Żywiec?

Yes, a Gothic one of the fifteenth century on ulica Zamkowa. It has held that rank in the Diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec since 1992.

Where is the cemetery church in Żywiec?

The Church of the Transfiguration stands in the cemetery at ulica Komonieckiego 23, in the town centre. The present building dates from 1850-1856.

Does the Chapel of St Vitus still exist?

No. It was blown up in 1964 during the construction of the reservoir, but the spring beside which it stood has survived.