The church in Libusza

Kościół w Libuszy

The church in Libusza, a 16th-century monument of wooden architecture, burned down twice, in 1986 and 2016. The church consisted of a nave, a narrow chancel, and a tower. The walls of the nave, the chancel, and the lower part of the tower were covered with shingles. In turn, the sterling was covered with vertical boards arranged in a decorative lace pattern. A wooden roof with a small turret covered the nave and chancel. The tower had an octagonal tented roof with shingles. In the church's days of splendour, the interior was decorated with a beautiful figural-ornamental polychrome made in 1523. The paintings included depictions of saints and scenes from the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The polychrome dates back to the early 17th century. Most of the furnishings, including the main altar and side altars, were from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Some of the valuable historical objects were the Gothic triptych from 1520–1530, made by the Master from Wójtowa, and a Gothic stone baptismal font. The church had numerous decorative carpentry elements, e.g., portals with an ogee arch.

People from Libusza:

Alojzy Kosiba was born on June 29, 1855. Due to his difficult financial situation, he could not attend secondary school (gimnazjum), so he began training as a shoemaker in Biecz and achieved the rank of journeyman around 1874. While in Biecz, he first came into contact with the Franciscans, then known as 'reformats'. During his apprenticeship, he frequently visited their monastery to pray or assist in the Mass and observed the monks' life. Later, while working in Tarnów, he decided to join the Order of Friars Minor Reformats. In 1879 Alojzy Kosiba entered service in the monastery in Wieliczka. The main task of Brother Alojzy was collection. In addition, using his training, he made or repaired shoes, sandals, and belts for the monks or priest, and took care of the poor at the gate, whom he called ‘his own’. He died on January 4, 1939, in Wieliczka. The confidence in his holy life and the many graces he conferred led the Franciscans to make efforts to seek recognition for him. On July 7, 2017, Pope Francis signed a decree about the heroism of Alojzy Kosiba's virtues. He was given the title of a Venerable Servant of God.

Franciszek Rybka, codename ‘Kula’, was born in 1918 in Libusza and died on June 13, 1986 in Majorca. He was an officer in the Polish Army of the Second Polish Republic, the Polish Armed Forces in the West, and the Home Army. He was a captain of infantry in the standing army and belonged to the elite Silent Unseen (Cichociemni) diversionary unit. In September 1939, he served in the Reserve of the 5th Infantry Division. He participated in the defence of Lviv. He was interned in Hungary. In January 1940, he arrived in France, where he was assigned to the Independent Highland Brigade (Samodzielna Brygada Strzelców Podhalańskich). In the Norwegian campaign, he commanded the 2nd platoon of the 3rd company of the 3rd battalion of that brigade. For his personal bravery during the Battle of Narvik he was awarded the Cross of Valour (Krzyż Walecznych). He also participated in the French campaign. In June 1940, he made his way to Britain, where he served in the 3rd company of the 1st battalon of the 1st Rifle Brigade. He volunteered to serve in Poland. In 1941, he passed the underground's training in diversion and was sworn in as a soldier of the Home Army on January 19, 1942. On the night of September 1–2, 1942, he was dropped into Poland as part of mission Chickenpox.  In April 1944, he took the post of deputy commander of the Stołpeckie Group of the Home Army (Zgrupowanie Stołpeckie Armii Krajowej), which broke through to the Kampinos Forest (Puszcza Kampinoska). On August 1, he was sent to Warsaw, where the uprising surprised him in the Ochota district. On August 12, he left for the camp in Pruszków, from where he fled to Milanówek. In December, he was transferred to the Doliny Partisan Division, with which he fought in Kielecczyzna and Opoczyńskie until the dissolution of the Home Army. In mid-1945, he made his way to Britain, where he settled in London. He worked as a watchmaker. He founded the Association of the Silent Unseen Paratroopers of the Home Army (Koło Cichociemnych-Spadochroniarzy AK).

Captain Stanisław Mazurek – soldier of the Polish Army, born February 8, 1910, in Libusza. In 1939, he served in the 24th Reserve of the Light Artillery Regiment. He was imprisoned in the camp in Starobielsk and executed in April 1940. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain in 2007.


 
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