Churches & monasteries

Na Pólku Church near Bralin

Na Pólku Church near Bralin, dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a wooden indulgence shrine about 2 km south-east of Bralin’s centre. Built in 1711, it stands alone among fields and country lanes, creating one of the most distinctive sacred landscapes in Greater Poland.

A wooden church on a Greek-cross plan

The church has a Greek-cross plan, four entrances and a single interior space. Its walls are covered with tempera polychrome inspired by engravings from a 1638 Venetian missal; above the altar is a ceiling painting of the Assumption of Mary. Shingle roofs and the small rise strengthen the building’s connection with the open landscape.

Image and furnishings

The central double-sided altar contains the image of Our Lady of Pólko. The cross arms hold, among other works, a late-Renaissance altar from around 1630, a Baroque altar of St Joseph and a Classical pulpit. The site has been a Marian shrine since 2011 and remains an active place of worship.

Practical information

Interior visits require contacting the parish office or arranging a date by phone or email. Allow 20–30 minutes for the exterior and field landscape, or at least 45 minutes with an interior visit. The shrine belongs to St Anne’s Parish in Bralin; check the service calendar and route before travelling.