Church of St Andrew the Apostle in Golina

Around 1660 a canon from Kalisz took a copy of the Golina image of the Virgin Mary to Lišov in Bohemia – and that copy still hangs there today. It is the best proof that devotion in this small village near Jarocin is older than any surviving document. The image itself waits in the wooden oak Church of St Andrew the Apostle, one of the most interesting examples of timber church architecture in southern Wielkopolska (Greater Poland).

History: six centuries of a parish

The church in Golina was first mentioned in 1410, but nobody knows who founded it or when. The present building was probably put up in the second half of the 17th century, using oak. In the 18th century it was described as old and dilapidated; the date of its renovation, 1739, can still be seen on a ceiling beam. The roof turret is topped with a weather vane dated 1866, the year of another major overhaul. A side chapel was added in 1999–2000, and the church was thoroughly renovated in 2010–2012.

What to see

• The wall construction: the church is built of horizontal logs, but the north and south walls were reinforced with timber framing and plastered – hence its half-timbered look from the side.
• Wiktor Gosieniecki's 1935 paintings on the false barrel vault of the chancel.
• The Baroque high altar from the early 18th century, with statues of St Peter and St Paul and a painting of St Andrew at the top.
• The Baroque pulpit from around 1700, resting on a carved figure of the prophet Jonah.
• The late Gothic Man of Sorrows (Christ in Distress) from the 16th century – the oldest sculpture in the church.
• The wooden bell tower from 1750, a post-built structure with a shingle roof.

The image of Our Lady of Consolation

The painting dates from the second half of the 17th century and is on canvas mounted on a wooden panel; it measures 133 × 93 cm and follows the Roman icon Salus Populi Romani. A church inspection in 1726 already called it "imago gratiosa" – an image famed for graces. During restoration in 2012 a painted star was discovered on Mary's shoulder. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński crowned the image on 23 August 1970. Most of the time it is covered by a sliding panel and is revealed at the start of services.

Interesting facts

Golina is known for snutka golińska – white embroidery worked onto linen, made here, according to tradition, since the 15th century. The parish priest Fr Szczepan Toboła (d. 1928), after whom the street by the church is named, kept the parish registers in Polish during the period of Germanisation under Prussian rule, and when this was forbidden, he switched to Latin.

Tripto tip

The sanctuary is at ul. ks. Szczepana Toboły 1, about 5 km south of Jarocin on national road 15. There are no fixed visiting hours – the simplest option is to arrive just before or after Mass, when the image is often uncovered. Allow 30–45 minutes for the church and bell tower. Look for the beam dated 1739 and the figure of Jonah under the pulpit.