Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Tylicz

This dark red wooden church with three onion domes has stood in Tylicz's cemetery since 1743. It is a Lemko church with an unusual layout – two side chapels off the nave, a feature found elsewhere in the region only at Milik. Inside is an 18th-century iconostasis whose icons of the patron saints are taller than the royal doors.

History

There was a church in Tylicz by the late 16th century. The present one was built in 1743, and its shape comes from a rebuilding in 1780, when the side chapels and tower were probably added. Further work followed in 1889, around 1930 and in 1938, when the interior was painted to mark the 950th anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus'. Until 1947 it was a Greek Catholic church; afterwards it passed to the Roman Catholic Church and today serves as the cemetery chapel of the parish of Saints Peter and Paul. It has been a listed monument since 1964 and lies on the Lesser Poland Wooden Architecture Route.

What to look for

• The three-part outline typical of Lemko churches: a tower over the narthex, the nave and the sanctuary, each with its own dome.
• The post-and-frame tower with sloping walls, a mock belfry and a two-tier onion dome topped with a wrought-iron cross.
• Two side chapels off the nave – otherwise found only at Milik.
• The 18th-century iconostasis: the icons of the patron saints and St Nicholas in the lowest tier are so tall that they reach the tier above.
• The 1938 wall paintings, including Saints Olga and Volodymyr copied from icons in St Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv.
• The bell tower and old cemetery within the fence.

Did you know?

In the 1980s thieves removed several icons from the iconostasis. The missing images were replaced after 2001.

Tripto tip

The church stands in the cemetery, a few hundred metres from the wooden Church of Saints Peter and Paul. You can see the outside all year; to get inside, it is best to ask at the parish. The best view of the three domes is from the cemetery gate. Allow 20–30 minutes.