Churches & monasteries

Church of St. Martin in Lelów

On Klasztorna Street in Lelów, not far from the market square, stands the Gothic parish church of St. Martin — today the Sanctuary of Our Lady the Consoler of Lelów. The parish is among the oldest in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland: it was founded in the 13th century, and the masonry church has its beginnings in the 14th.

September 1939

The church was damaged and burned many times, and for the last time during the Second World War. On 4 September 1939 German soldiers filled the church with straw and ordered the inhabitants to set it alight. When they refused, they were shot — a mound and a plaque commemorate the event. Of the furnishings only a wooden cross survived, walled up in the vestibule; after the rebuilding it was placed in the high altar.

Traces of the Franciscans

Lelów once had a Franciscan monastery, founded by Casimir the Great himself; it was dissolved in the 19th century, and the rectory stands in its place today.

Practical information

The church stands at Klasztorna Street 8, a few minutes from the market square. A visit takes a quarter of an hour and combines well with a trip around the Upland: Bobolice Castle, the trout farm in Złoty Potok and the Parkowe nature reserve are nearby. Devotees of Our Lady the Consoler of Lelów make pilgrimages to the church, and her image is worth seeking out inside.