St. Michael the Archangel's Tserkva in Brunary Wyżne

St. Michael the Archangel's Church in Brunary Wyżne (say "broo-NAH-ri VIZH-neh") is an 18th-century former Lemko Greek Catholic tserkva – a wooden church of the Eastern rite – in the Low Beskids of southern Poland, now the Roman Catholic parish church of the village of Brunary. Since 2013 it has been one of the eight Polish components of the UNESCO World Heritage property "Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine." Its blue-toned painted interior is one of the most striking in the region.

Where it is and how to get there

Brunary lies in the Low Beskids (Beskid Niski), about 10 km from Uście Gorlickie, 23 km from Gorlice, 34 km from Nowy Sącz and around 140 km (87 miles) southeast of Kraków – roughly 2.5 hours by car. Kraków Airport is the nearest major international gateway. A car is the practical way to explore the area's wooden churches; the UNESCO-listed tserkva in Kwiatoń is only about 14 km away. No official parking information is published.

A short history

The first church in Brunary was built after 1616, when a Uniate (Greek Catholic) parish was founded in the village. A second church followed in 1653, and the present building dates from the 18th century. In 1831 it was rebuilt and enlarged: the old sanctuary was merged with the nave, a new three-sided sanctuary was added and the whole church received a new roof – yet it kept the character of a western Lemko tserkva. The regional tourist board dates the stone wall around the churchyard to 1830.

After the Lemko population was forcibly resettled during Operation Vistula in 1947, the Roman Catholic Church took over the building. Today it serves the parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Diocese of Tarnów. Beside the church is the grave of Father Antoni Pohorecki, the local parish priest from 1932 to 1940.

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 three-part Lemko layout, built of horizontal logs, with a tower with sloping walls over the entrance and similar domes over the nave and sanctuary, each topped with a wrought-iron cross. The former village of Brunary Wyżne is now part of Brunary, but the old name survives in the UNESCO listing. Inside, look for:

• painted walls and ceilings in shades of blue with grapevine motifs – created in stages in the 18th and 19th centuries, according to the parish; the regional tourist board attributes the main layer, from the late 19th century, to Antoni and Józef Bogdański, with fragments of earlier Baroque painting in the nave,
• a Baroque 18th-century iconostasis, repainted in 1831,
• a 17th-century high altar with a canopy and 18th-century side altars with icons of the Virgin and the Transfiguration,
• a rood beam with a cross and figures of Mary and St. John, a decorated pulpit, the organ loft and a Rococo bench.

The parish website offers a virtual tour of the interior – useful if you want to preview it.

Opening hours and tickets

According to the parish (as of October 2026), the church can be visited year-round. In season (May–October) it is open Wednesday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Thursday–Saturday 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., and Sundays and holidays 12:00–5:00 p.m.; the regional tourist board adds a break from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. and visits on Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment. Out of season (November–April), including winter 2026/27, the church is opened on request after contacting the guide (+48 536 723 418), the parish office (+48 18 351 67 76) or emailing parafia@brunary.pl. No admission prices are published; a donation in Polish złoty (PLN) is welcome. The church is unheated in winter.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you are touring the Lemko tserkvas: Brunary's richly painted interior contrasts beautifully with the plainer churches nearby. Allow 30–45 minutes. Combine it with Kwiatoń and Owczary, both on the same UNESCO list, and with hiking in the Low Beskids.