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Kościół Wszystkich Świętych Krościenko nad Dunajcem

All Saints Church Krościenko nad Dunajcem

Jasny murowany kościół widziany z boku, z gontowym dachem oraz wysoką, kwadratową wieżą, z wieżyczką z baniastym hełmem i sygnaturką. Dalej nawa i niższe prezbiterium z podporami. Otoczony murem z kamienia, z metalowym niskim płotem na murze. Wokół wysokie drzewa i przebijające bezchmurne niebo.

ul. Rynek, 34-450 Krościenko nad Dunajcem Tourist region: Pieniny i Spisz

tel. +48 182623015
The Gothic All Saints church in Krościenko nad Dunajcem was built of rubble stone in the first half of the 14th century. King Jan Olbracht donated a stone baptismal font to the church, and the legend says that the waves of the Dunajec River brought an image of the Virgin Mary here, which was placed in the altar.

The church already existed in 1350, although it was significantly offset from the present church towards the Dunajec River and did not have a tower. The church of that period was small, measuring 7x6 m, with a 4x4 m square presbytery. Part of the original chancel subsided in the first half of the 16th century, probably as a result of being washed away by the river. The nave, which today serves as the presbytery, has been preserved to the present day. In 1546, the church was enlarged to include the present nave. A remnant of the former presbytery is the existing annexe (with a burial crypt under the then main altar). A tower was added in the 17th century. In a fire in 1755, the roof and wooden ceilings burnt down, while in 1788 the tower and ceiling in the nave were damaged. In the following years, the tower was topped with a cupola roof, in the shape we can still see today. Two bells were placed on the tower in 1796 and 1802 and were unfortunately requisitioned during the First World War.

The main altarpiece dates from the 18th century. An earlier image of the Virgin Mary, dating from the 16th century, was – according to legend recorded in the parish chronicle – brought to the church by the waves of the Dunajec River, and was only destroyed from old age in 1921. Today, the altar contains an 18th-century image of Our Lady of the Rosary – a former procession float with a carved cloth. It is flanked by a Rococo tabernacle with undulating lines and figures of the apostles Peter and Paul.

On the north wall of the church you can see fragments of an extremely valuable 14th-century polychrome depicting scenes from the life of Saint Barbara. Another piece of polychrome, at the main altar, dates to 1490 and depicts the Crucifixion scene. The scene of the entry into Jerusalem, whose walls resemble the fortifications of Kraków, is suggestive. The walls of the nave, in turn, depict other scenes (there are 24), ranging from the Annunciation to the Assumption.  Interestingly, these are not only scenes from the life of Christ or apocalyptic visions of the Last Judgement, but also ones that reflected the real problems of the local community. This is the so-called 'biblia pauperum', or picture bible, for the illiterate parishioners of the time. The author of the paintings, most of which were created in 1589, is Jakub Korab from Nowy Targ. The narrow face in the bottom row, which does not connect with the depicted scenes, is probably a self-portrait of the painter.

The 15th-century stone – polychrome-covered – baptismal font, donated by King Jan Olbracht in 1493, features a Jagiellonian eagle. Adjacent to the emblem of the Polish state are the coats of arms of the Bishop of Kraków and other knights. 

Also worthy of note are the Stations of the Cross painted on board: Baroque from the 17th/18th century. The stained-glass windows were made between 1964 and 1966, for the millennium of the Baptism of Poland. There are six of them, all designed by conservationist Edward Kwiatkowski. Old trees, which are monuments of nature, surround the church.


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