St. James's Tserkva in Powroźnik

St. James's Church in Powroźnik (say "pov-ROZH-neek") is a former Lemko tserkva – an Eastern-rite wooden church – regarded as the oldest wooden tserkva in the Polish Carpathians. It stands just outside the spa towns of Krynica-Zdrój and Muszyna in southern Poland and has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage property "Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine" since 2013. Inside, its former sanctuary preserves wall paintings from 1607 – a rewarding detour in any season.

Where it is and how to get there

Powroźnik lies on the road between Krynica-Zdrój (about 7 km) and Muszyna (about 5 km) in the Beskid Sądecki mountains, roughly 40 km from Nowy Sącz and 145 km (90 miles) southeast of Kraków – around 2.5 hours by car. Kraków Airport is the nearest major international airport. A car is the simplest way to combine several wooden churches in one day. Parking is free.

A short history

The church dates from around 1600; an inscription on one wall bears the date 1604. It was built for an Orthodox community, and the oldest surviving part of the original building is now the sacristy. The church was enlarged in 1643. After a flood in 1813 it was moved to higher ground, farther from the river, and extended; the main tower was added in 1878, according to the regional tourist board.

The Lemkos – the East Slavic highlanders who built and used the church – were forcibly resettled in 1947 during Operation Vistula. The Roman Catholic Church took over the building, and a Catholic parish of St. James was established here in 1951. Recent work includes new shingles on the whole church and an automatic water-mist fire suppression system (2019), and restoration of the stone wall (2021). According to the Catholic weekly Gość Niedzielny, nearly 50,000 people visited in the record year 2019.

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.

What to see

The church follows the classic three-part Lemko layout – sanctuary, nave and narthex – with a post-and-frame tower above the narthex topped by a wooden cupola and wrought-iron cross. A bell cast in 1615 hangs in the tower. Following an old custom, windows open only to the south, explained both by the harsh northern winds and by folk belief that evil came from the north. A stone wall with 20th-century statues of saints surrounds the churchyard.

Inside, look for:

• the 1607 wall paintings in the sacristy (the original sanctuary): a Crucifixion beneath the dove of the Holy Spirit and God the Father on the ceiling – together an image of the Holy Trinity – plus the Entombment, the Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses receiving the Tablets and Christ's Entry into Jerusalem. They are among the oldest figural paintings preserved in any wooden tserkva,
• the 18th-century iconostasis, cut apart when the church became Roman Catholic: the Deesis and Prophets tiers now hang on the east wall of the nave, other icons in the sanctuary,
• older icons of the Last Judgment (1623) and the Lamentation (1646), and deacon's doors from a 17th-century iconostasis.

Opening hours and tickets

Neither the parish nor the regional tourist board publishes fixed opening hours or prices (as of October 2026). This is an active parish church, and the interior is usually shown by a guide, so call ahead: +48 18 471 16 44 or +48 508 866 402. Photography is permitted. Bring some Polish złoty (PLN) for a donation. In winter 2026/27 the church is unheated, and visits during services are not possible – arrange your visit in advance.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes. Even if you only have 30–45 minutes, Powroźnik shows you Lemko architecture and some of the oldest church paintings in the Carpathians without a long drive. It pairs perfectly with Krynica-Zdrój, a historic spa town with mineral-water pump rooms and the Góra Parkowa hill, and in winter with the ski areas of Jaworzyna Krynicka and Wierchomla. Other tserkvas on the same UNESCO list – Kwiatoń, Brunary Wyżne and Owczary – lie farther east in the Low Beskids.