Tserkva of the Protection of the Mother of God in Owczary

The Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in Owczary (say "ov-CHAH-ri") is one of the oldest Lemko tserkvas – wooden churches of the Eastern rite – in Poland, built in 1653 in a quiet valley of the Low Beskids near Gorlice. Since 2013 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage property "Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine." Look for its three onion domes, a complete Baroque iconostasis in blue, red and gold, and a congregation shared by Greek and Roman Catholics.

Where it is and how to get there

Owczary is a small village in Lesser Poland (Małopolska), about 10 km from Gorlice (roughly 20 minutes by car) and about 145 km (90 miles) southeast of Kraków – around 2.5 hours. Kraków Airport is the nearest major international gateway. A car is the most convenient way to get around; Kwiatoń, another UNESCO tserkva, is about 30 km away. No official parking information is published.

Who were the Lemkos?

The Lemkos are an East Slavic people of the Carpathian highlands who mostly belonged to the Greek Catholic Church – Catholics who follow the Byzantine liturgy. In 1947, under the communist-era Operation Vistula, they were forcibly resettled to other parts of Poland, and many of their churches were taken over by Roman Catholics. In Owczary the Roman Catholic parish of nearby Sękowa took over the building but kept its dedication. Greek Catholic services returned occasionally from 1956 and regularly from the late 1980s, and since 1998 the church has been shared by both communities – a small but meaningful story of reconciliation.

The UNESCO listing

Inscribed on June 21, 2013, the property groups 16 wooden tserkvas – eight in Poland and eight in Ukraine – built of horizontal logs between the 16th and 19th centuries by Orthodox and Greek Catholic communities. The Polish eight are Brunary Wyżne, Chotyniec, Kwiatoń, Owczary, Powroźnik, Radruż, Smolnik and Turzańsk. Poland now has 18 World Heritage Sites in total; the latest, the Modernist Center of Gdynia, was added in July 2026.

History

The present church dates from 1653 – the year is carved above the west doorway. It replaced an earlier church that suffered from marshy ground, which is why the new one rests on a foundation of uprooted tree stumps that kept out moisture. The chancel was rebuilt in 1701, a sacristy added around 1710 and the tower over the narthex built in 1783 by the carpenters Dimitr Dekowekin and Teodor Rusinka. The porch was widened in 1870, and in 1938 the interior was painted to mark 950 years since the Christianization of Kievan Rus'.

A thorough restoration in 1983–1985 brought back the shingle roofs and walls. It won a special award from Poland's Ministry of Culture, and in 1995 the church received a Europa Nostra award.

What to see

• Three towers with onion domes and false lanterns crowning the shingled roofs; the tower above the narthex uses a post-and-frame structure.
• An oval wall of rough stone with a small wooden gate to the south and a sturdy brick gate-belfry to the west.
• The complete 18th-century iconostasis, painted blue, red and gold, with openwork columns wrapped in vine leaves. Some icons were painted in 1712 by Jan Medycki, who worked for both Eastern and Latin churches – hence their Western Baroque look; others are by an anonymous village painter.
• Side altars with a 17th-century Virgin and Child in a metal cover, St. Nicholas from the early 18th century, and Christ the Teacher from 1664, taken from the earlier iconostasis.

Several of the finest old icons from Owczary are now in museums, including the National Museum in Kraków and the open-air museum in Sanok.

Opening hours and tickets

According to the regional tourist board VisitMałopolska (as of October 2026), the interior is opened by a local guide, Ms. Renata Bania (+48 18 351 89 73). Admission is free, photography is allowed, and visitors may even look behind the royal doors of the iconostasis. Mass is on Sundays and holidays at 12:00. No fixed opening hours are published, so call before you go – especially in winter 2026/27, when the church is unheated and local roads can be icy.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes – Owczary is one of the most atmospheric tserkvas in the region and rarely crowded. Allow 30–45 minutes. Nearby you can see the UNESCO-listed wooden church in Sękowa, the town of Gorlice with its World War I cemeteries from the 1915 Battle of Gorlice, and the tserkvas in Kwiatoń and Brunary Wyżne.