BINAROWA

Priest Kazimierz Franczak about the renovation works in the church

The history of the church in Binarowa started around the year 1500, although we do not know the exact date. It was built of fir-wood in a late Gothic style, with a very characteristic roof construction. In 1596 a tower was added west to the church. An ave-bell tower was built in 1602-1608. The first big renovation works took place in the years 1641-1645. It included building the Guardian Angels’ Chapel, and a new cap of the tower. Also the church interior was significantly modernized back then. New wall paintings were produced, all of which of a very high artistic value. The windows were enlarged, and the choir was altered. On the turn of the 19th century there was another detailed restoration of the church. The roof over the aisle, the presbytery and the tower was covered with sheet zinc, and the wooden planks substituted former shingle casing. All these changes considerably modified the appearance of the church. In the 1990s the tower gained its original shape, as it was also covered with shingle. The works are still going on, so the building will be more and more beautiful. In 2003, the church was added to the UNESCO List of World Heritage.

Grażyna Kosiacka about the history of Binarowa

Binarowa is a 500-year-old royal village. Even though not many people live here today, in the past it was an important centre of weaving, just like the nearby town of Biecz. There were a lot of German settlers here, and the production and trade were developing very fast. I suppose there was a great need for weavers’ produce, and then the village could afford to hire a group of professional painters who worked on the church interior.

Priest Kazimierz Franczak about the wall paintings in the church

In the presbytery there are scenes of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection. In other parts of the church we can admire scenes from the catechism, prayers (Our Father and Profession of Faith), figures of Saints, problems of human life, a scene showing the choice everyone has: a man walking an easy, straight path reaches the hell and condemnation. The difficult path leads to eternal happiness. There are also scenes connected with death and with the Last Judgment. Seven deadly sins are presented in the choir. A bit different topics are depicted in the Guardian Angels’ Chapel. The entire chapel and the altar are full of angles. There are plenty of wall paintings in the church in Binarowa. The original Gothic polychromy was made at the very beginning of the church’s existence. Then, some time in the middle of the 17th century, another part of the church was painted, which gave the interior more gorgeousness.

Inhabitants of Binarowa about their church

A: How old is this church?
B: 600
C: It is more than 600. It is a great honour to have it here; it belongs to the UNESCO List. Many tourists come here to see it, not only from Poland but also from abroad. It is a real treasure. It is the only Catholic church in Binarowa, and there are masses here every day.
A: And what is so amazing about it?
D: For sure the wall paintings. Virgin Mary, the painting and the sculpture. It is a very cozy church, you can concentrate in there. It is a place where you can think over your problem.

Andrzej Włodarek, art historian, about the church

The church in Binarowa is a miracle in many ways. First of all, because of the architecture. It is one of very few wooden churches preserved in such a good condition. It has a very interesting construction. The interior equipment dates back to the second half of the 17th century. The equipment fits the paintings, and everything together creates a uniform structure. It’s like a trip back in time to the middle of the 17th century, and this atmosphere makes it such a special place. You can admire the ornamentation, read, watch, and learn history. I am mainly an expert on Gothic art, so the church in Binarowa is on the border of my scientific interests. Nevertheless, I must admit that what one enters this church, the impressions about the interior design and equipment are astonishing. All the colours are so unbelievable. Yes, I am very happy that I had a chance to see this church.

Priest Kazimierz Franczak about the artists and tourists interested in the church

Many art historians, art lovers, writers and poets have noticed the great value of the wall paintings and the church equipment. The church was visited by the writer Józef Chwalibóg (1831), Jan Matejko (1866), Aleksander Ryglewski (1876), Marian Sokołowski, Józef Mehoffer, and Stanisław Wyspiański (4th August 1889). Wyspiański, during his one-day visit made many sketches, which were later published, and which greatly contributed to wider interest in this little church. The church in Binarowa has a long history. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists have visited it throughout the five centuries of its existence. The significance of the church grew in 2003, when it was added to the UNESCO List of World’s Cultural Heritage. Not only Polish people visit it, but also many foreigners, especially from Japan. Japanese television has already made two programmes about the church: one about the history and the appearance; the other one was a record of a Midnight Mass on a Christmas Eve, and some other masses in which the Japanese were interested.

Stanisław Starowiak, conservator of monuments, about the church renovation

The works on the wall paintings in the presbytery are completed (the paintings show Christ’s Passion). A lot of work has also been done in the Guardian Angels’ Chapel, and partly on the northern aisle wall. What is left to be done is the ceiling over the aisle, the southern wall, and the scenes painted under the choir. Technical works were done at first, that is protecting the layers which were shelling off. We also had to get rid of the worms eating the woodwork. Four paintings regained their original colours. The paintings show seven deadly sins, and that is something very unusual. We have never seen that kind of paintings in any other church where we worked. The paintings date back to 1643 and they are priceless, so they should be protected and taken good care of.

SĘKOWA

Priest Stanisław Dziedzic about the history of the church

There is a date written on the baptismal font inside the church, and this is the only date we have. All the records were burnt during the I World War, and the date on the baptismal font is 1522. From that year on, the church was a parish Roman-Catholic church. This is very important, because some people think it is an Orthodox church. No, it is not. It is Catholic. Unfortunately, no other dates are certain. At first, it was just a small chapel. Then the aisle was built, and then the tower. All these elements were linked together by a skillful carpenter. This is amazing, the bigger it grew, the more beautiful it became.

Priest Stanisław Dziedzic about the church renovation

When I came here for the first time, I was very upset, because I did not know where to start. Both this church, and the church in Owczary, were in a very bad condition. There were many leaks, and there were some gutters missing. I didn’t know what to do, but somehow I got started with the help of the Ministry of Culture and the General Conservator of Monuments, Mr. Wiktor Zin. In 1980, after preparing all the necessary documents, we started the works. We were granted 50% of the money needed, another half was given by the local people. They were also transporting wood, stone, they worked very hard. In 1982- 1983 the church was ready. At first, there were hardly any wall paintings. Then, in the 18th century it was very fashionable to paint church interiors. There is a fragment of such paintings in the presbytery. One altar was made out of three old ones. A tie-beam and a cross were added. I found this cross by the road to Siary, in an abandoned shrine. A beautiful, precious cross. It is a miracle that nobody had stolen it. I took it and brought it here. There are two more altars in the church: one of them is devoted to Virgin Mary of Fatima, the other one to St Hubertus, Patron Saint of hunters.

Priest Stanisław Dziedzic about the outer arcades (“soboty”)

“Sobota” is the part of the roof which goes down almost to the ground level. It is called “sobota” (“Saturday”), because in the past, people who lived far from the church, and they wanted to take part in the Sunday mass, used to come here on Saturday and wait here all night. There was no other church in the vicinity. That is the tradition and I believe this is how the arches got their name.

Priest Stanisław Dziedzic about the prizes for the patrons of the church

The church is still very popular and appreciated today, and many people want to come and see it. We were granted an award of the Minister of Culture and Art- we won the first prize for preserving the church. Then we got the Europa Nostra Medal. And finally, the most important distinction: joining the UNESCO List of World’s Cultural Heritage in 2003. People from all around the world visit us. What is interesting, there are a lot of Japanese tourists. During warm months (from April to October) there is a Holy Mass at 4 p.m. in a traditional style, in traditional chasubles, standing back to the faithful, and speaking Latin. Many people come here to see that. This is also a popular place for wedding ceremonies, not only for local people, but also for many couples from all over Poland and from abroad.

Priest Stanisław Dziedzic about the dangers in the history of the church

The church was in danger three times. At first- when a new Neogothic St Joseph church was built. There was a tradition at that time, that when a new church was built, the old one was pulled down, burnt, or moved to another village. Fortunately, the people here did not let any of these things happen. They knew that many artists and architects admired their church, e.g. Wyspiański or Tetmajer.

The next danger came after the I World War. Not much was left of the church, just the framework. People were stealing the wood to heat their houses, and some planks were used to build trenches for soldiers. After the war, the owner of Siary, Mr. Długosz, decided to renovate the church. It was not a thorough renovation; it just prevented the church from falling into pieces.

The third threat came after the II World War. The church was already very old, there were many leaks, no foundations, some planks got rotten and they needed to be replaced. The families of Gabriel and Długosz made all the works possible. Mrs. Różycka, a painter, was making pictures and sketches, which she later sold. All that money, as well as the money given by local people, saved this beautiful church.