First published: 03/02/06.

David Berlanda 3.0

Wooden Churches Of Southern Malopolska

Wooden Churches of Southern Malopolska (Inscribed)

Wooden Churches of Southern Malopolska by David Berlanda

In our trip to Poland we have visited Lipnica Murowana and its wooden Gothic cemetery church of St. Leonard, constructed in 15th century outside the walls and reconstructed many times, in the horizontal log technique. It has a high roof with wooden shingles, an arcade around it and a nice portal. Inside there are wall paintings, polychrome decorations on the ceiling of the nave and of the chancel and a crypt with some tombs.

I was a little bit disappointed by the church because I imagined it bigger and more spectacular or decorated and also because it was closed, even if its architecture is of very good quality. I think however that it justifies the inscription because there aren't many wooden churches on the WHL and especially because they are a very important and widespread type of traditional buildings, but in my opinion the inscription can be largest, as to comprend all or some of the many other wooden churches of Poland, and also transboundary (there are many other wooden churches in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine). The church is very well conservated and it has a high degree of authentity. The title of the WHS "Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland" seems to be uncorrect, because two of the churches are in the region of Subcarpathia; but the title is referred to the historical region of Little Poland. The church is worth to be seen if you are in the surroundings of Cracow but it's difficult to get there. You can reach it from the road 4 going from Cracow to Tarnów by taking near Brzensko the road 99 in direction of Nowy S¹cz and taking near Tymova the road 966, on which Lipnica Murowana is; you can park the car directly in front of the church, but the road signs telling you how to reach it are hard to find even in the village, so ask someone where the church is.

Photo: Lipnica Murowana - Church of St. Leonard

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