Székely Gate in Stary Sącz

Next to the wall of the Poor Clares' convent in Stary Sącz stands a carved wooden gateway you would hardly expect in a small town in southern Poland. It is a Székely gate – the traditional gate of the Székelys (Szeklers), a Hungarian-speaking community from Transylvania. It was put up in 1999, when Pope John Paul II canonised Duchess Kinga, daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary, here in Stary Sącz.

A Hungarian gift to St Kinga's town

The canonisation took place on 16 June 1999 at an open-air Mass on the Błonia meadows in Stary Sącz. The gate is a Hungarian gift marking the event and a reminder that the town's patron saint was born a Hungarian princess of the Árpád dynasty. After the death of her husband, Bolesław the Chaste, Kinga founded the Poor Clares' convent in 1280, took the veil herself and died here in 1292. Her relics rest in the convent church, so Hungarian pilgrims visiting her tomb walk under this very gate.

What a Székely gate looks like

Székely gates are massive, hand-carved timber structures with a wide carriageway, often with a smaller pedestrian door, topped by a little roof. In Transylvania they stood in front of farmhouses; today they also serve as memorials of Hungarian identity. The Stary Sącz gate has two carved posts joined by a roofed beam, with relief panels showing figures and plant motifs. It stands freely on the square by the convent wall – a symbol of friendship, not an old town gate or an entrance to the enclosed convent.

What to see nearby

• The Poor Clares' convent with the Holy Trinity church and St Kinga's tomb – a pilgrimage site for Poles and Hungarians alike.
• The papal altar of 1999 on the town meadows, where the canonisation Mass was held.
• Stary Sącz market square with its cobbled surface and low historic houses, a few minutes' walk away.
• St Kinga's spring – another stop on the pilgrimage routes.

Tripto tip

The gate takes a few minutes and is free to see; it works best as the start of a walk – gate, convent, market square and the meadow with the papal altar add up to about 1.5–2 hours. The carving shows best in raking light in the morning or late afternoon. During celebrations at the convent (especially around St Kinga's feast on 24 July) the area gets busy, so leave the car in the parking zone near the centre.