St Erasmus Church in Barwałd Dolny

The parish of Barwałd is one of the oldest in the Archdiocese of Kraków – first recorded in 1326, it celebrates its 700th anniversary in 2026. Its wooden Church of St Erasmus, consecrated in 1782, has an unusual layout: the tower stands on the east side of the chancel rather than above the west entrance. It is a survivor of the earlier, 16th-century church, built into the new one.

History: three churches, one parish

In 1326 the parish priest of Barwałd was a certain Father Johannes, and the first church, dedicated to St Andrew, stood in Barwałd Średni; by 1598 it was empty and it was pulled down before 1748. In 1474 the king granted Barwałd to the Komorowski family, and in 1512 the brothers Jan and Wawrzyniec Komorowski founded a church of the Assumption. Its tower survives to this day.

The present church was funded by Jan Biberstein-Starowieyski, holder of the Barwałd estate; it was completed and consecrated in 1782. In the 1930s the shingles were replaced with tiles and a porch was added to the west. During a thorough restoration in 1985–1990 the shingle roof was brought back, and Bishop Kazimierz Nycz blessed the renovated church on 2 June 1990, the patron's feast day.

What to see

• The 16th-century tower with a post-and-frame structure, an onion dome, lantern and finial; the sacristy is on its ground floor.
• Late 18th-century wall paintings with figural, floral and geometric motifs, and an Annunciation on the ceiling.
• Three altars: an 18th-century painting of St Erasmus in the high altar, the 16th-century Madonna and Child known as Our Lady of Barwałd on the left, and a Holy Trinity from 1784 on the right.
• A rood beam with a late Gothic crucifix from the first half of the 16th century, a Baroque stone font and a holy-water stoup from 1842.
• The Rococo organ from 1770.

Did you know?

In 1847 an epidemic swept through Barwałd, killing 522 people – more than a quarter of the parish. For the parish's 700th anniversary the Apostolic Penitentiary granted a plenary indulgence to pilgrims visiting the church between 1 July 2026 and 1 July 2027. The church is on the Lesser Poland Wooden Architecture Route.

Tripto tips

This is a working parish church, so the easiest way to see the interior is around Mass times, which the parish publishes at barwaldswerazm.cba.pl. Half an hour is enough for the church and its surroundings. Barwałd Dolny lies in the municipality of Wadowice, so you can easily combine it with Wadowice or nearby Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.