St Valentine's Cemetery Church in Woźniki

In the cemetery of Woźniki, away from the market square, stands a small wooden church with a slender turret. This is where the parish's history began: a first church of St Valentine was recorded here as early as 1490, in the so-called old town near the earthwork stronghold. The present church was built by the townspeople in 1696. Today it is a cemetery church that comes to life mainly in summer.

History: from parish church to cemetery chapel

Woźniki appears in a document of Bishop Fulko of Kraków from 1206, and the earliest known church of the parish was this wooden church of St Valentine. After the town received its charter, before 1386, the masonry church of St Catherine was built, and by the mid-15th century it had become the parish church. The wooden church in the old town was rebuilt in 1696 on the site of its predecessor, and a porch was added in 1702.

When St Catherine's burned in a town fire at the end of the 18th century, St Valentine's served for a while as the parish church again. Afterwards it became a cemetery church. In 1901 Oskar Kowalewski covered the interior with ornamental and figurative painted decoration; the St Valentine altar was replaced at the same time. Conservation work has been under way since 2000: the shingles and floor were replaced, and the paintings and altar restored.

What to see

• The log structure on a rectangular plan with a three-sided east end and no separate chancel, a sacristy to the north-east and a porch to the west.
• The shingle roof and a slender octagonal turret with a lantern and bulbous cap.
• Inside, under a flat ceiling: the St Valentine altar of around 1901, Kowalewski's paintings and a pulpit decorated with papier mâché.
• In the cemetery near the church, the grave of Józef Lompa, a well-known Upper Silesian poet and teacher.

Tripto tip

The interior is usually locked. Your best chance to see it is from July to the end of September, when the Sunday Mass at 17:00 is held in St Valentine's. Outside that period, arrange access with St Catherine's parish (tel. +48 34 357 30 02). You can view the exterior whenever the cemetery is open – 20–30 minutes is enough. The church is on the Silesian Wooden Architecture Route, so it is easy to combine with other wooden churches in the region.