Wooden churches of Southern Lesser Poland

Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Old church in Sękowa
Location	Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
Includes	Church of the Archangel Michael, Binarowa Church of All Saints, Blizne Church of the Archangel Michael, Dębno Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Archangel Michael, Haczów Church of St Leonard, Lipnica Murowana Church of St Philip and St James the Apostles, Sękowa
Criteria	Cultural: (iii), (iv)
Reference	1053rev
Inscription	2003 (27th Session)
Area	8.26 ha (20.4 acres)
Buffer zone	242 ha (600 acres)
Coordinates	49°45′N 21°14′E
200km 125miles 6 5 4 3 2 1

The wooden churches of southern Lesser Poland (Polish: drewniane kościoły południowej Małopolski) of the UNESCO inscription are located in Binarowa, Blizne, Dębno, Haczów, Lipnica Murowana, and Sękowa (Lesser Poland Voivodeship or Małopolska).

There are in fact many others of the region which fit the description: "The wooden churches of southern Little Poland represent outstanding examples of the different aspects of medieval church-building traditions in Roman Catholic culture. Built using the horizontal log technique, common in eastern and northern Europe since the Middle Ages..."

The wooden church style of the region originated in the late Medieval, the late sixteenth century, and began with Gothic ornament and polychrome detail, but because they were timber construction, the structure, general form, and feeling is entirely different from the gothic architecture or Polish Gothic (in stone or brick). Later construction show Rococo and Baroque ornamental influence. The form of these Roman Catholic churches is deeply influenced by the Greco-Catholic and Orthodox presence in the region. Some display Greek cross plans and onion domes, but the most interesting of the churches combine these features with the Roman forms with elongated naves and steeples.

Other collections of wooden churches of the region are in the open-air museums in Sanok and Nowy Sącz.

Location map

Wooden churches of Southern Lesser Poland

30km
20miles

Sękowa

Lipnica Murowana

Haczów

Dębno

Blizne

Binarowa

  

List of the sites

Picture	ID	Name	Location	Note
	1053-001	St. Michael Archangel's Church, Binarowa	Binarowa	From circa 1500
	1053-002	All Saints Church, Blizne	Blizne	East of Jasienica Rosielna
	1053-003	St. Michael the Archangel Church	Dębno, Nowy Targ County	From 15th century
	1053-004	Assumption of Holy Mary Church	Haczów	The oldest wooden gothic temple in Europe, 1388
	1053-005	St. Leonard's Church	Lipnica Murowana	From 15th century
	1053-006	Saints Philip and James Church	Sękowa	From 1520

Other wooden churches of the region

See also: Wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian region in Poland and Ukraine

• 
  Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Lachowice, 1789-1791
• 
  John the Baptist Church in Orawka, interior
• 
  John the Baptist Church in Orawka, circa 1750
• 
  John the Baptist Church in Rzepiennik Biskupi from 16th century
• 
  St. Michael the Archangel Church in Szalowa, from 18th century
• 
  St. Michael in Szalowa, interior
• 
  St. Jacob Church in Powroźnik from 1604
• 
  St. Martin church in Grywałd from 16th/17th century
• 
  St. Dorothy Church in Trzcinica from end of 15th century
• 
  St Paraskeva Church in Kwiatoń from 17th century
• 
  Nawiedzenia Church in Iwkowa from 15th-17th centuries
• 
  St. Catherine Church in Gogołów from 1672

See also

• Carpathian wooden churches
• Vernacular architecture of the Carpathians
• Wooden synagogues of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• Zakopane Style architecture
• Lesser Poland

External links

• UNESCO citation
• The Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska
• Regional Uniate Church history