St. Leonard’s Church, Lipnica Murowana

Monuments

Drewniany kościół na tle bezchmurnego nieba i wysokich drzew, z niewielką wieżyczką z sygnaturką, ze stromym dachem i podcieniami obiegającymi świątynię. Przy kościele widać kilka nagrobków, przed nim stoją ławki i wysokie, grube drzewo.

Lipnica Murowana 223, 32-724 Lipnica Murowana Tourist region: Pogórza

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The small church in Lipnica is one of the most famous historic monuments in Małopolska. It was erected towards the end of the 15th century, although local tradition connects it with the year 1141, when a wooden church was supposedly built where a pagan temple once stood. The evidence for these colourful legends is meant to be the so-called Svetovid pole, allegedly with the image of the Slavic god, that supports the back of the main altar.

The church in Lipnica Murowana is one of the oldest and most valuable wooden churches in Małopolska. It has survived to the present day in an almost unchanged state. In the 17th century, it was surrounded only by soboty (single-storey arcades) and in the 19th century, a west portal was added.

The interior, covered from floor to ceiling with ornamental and figural polychromy from various periods, is awe-inspiring. The earliest decoration – of the ceilings in the chancel (late 15th century) and the nave (16th century) – was done with special stencils called patrons. The paintings on the walls of the chancel date from the 17th century and depict scenes of The Crucifixion, Last Supper and Last Judgement, and in the nave from the 18th-century are scenes from the Passion of Christ and the Decalogue.

Until some time ago, it was also possible to admire three extremely valuable Gothic altars (from the 15th and 16th centuries) of St Leonardo, St Nicholas, and Adoration of the Infant Jesus. The triptychs were stolen. They were recovered, but they weren’t returned to the church. The originals are on exhibit in the Diocesan Museum in Tarnów, whereas the ones in the church are copies.

In the middle of the temple, under a stone slab, is the tomb of the late Josephine and Anthony Ledóchowski – parents of Blessed Maria Theresa and Ursula Ledóchowska. Among the valuable furnishings we find: a rare processional float with a bas-relief of the Holy Trinity and casket-positive, a 17-century musical instrument also known as a box organ, which can still be played today.

An old cemetery surrounds the temple. Lipnica Murowana is famous for its Easter palm competition, held annually for several decades. The village can also boast three saints associated with Lipnica Murowana: Saint Simon, Saint Teresa Ledóchowska and Blessed Maria Teresa Ledóchowska.

The Church of St Leonard, one of the oldest and best-preserved wooden religious buildings in the voivodeship, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2003.

The site is located on the Wooden Architecture Route.