Wooden Church of the Holy Trinity in Koszęcin

To the left of the high altar in the wooden Holy Trinity Church in Koszęcin stands an oak stump about 2 metres high. According to tradition, it was beside this tree that the miller's daughter Wiktoria repeatedly saw three children asking for a church to be built. The present log church of 1724, ringed by covered arcades and roofed with wooden shingles, is part of the Silesian Wooden Architecture Route and holds one of the oldest painted "comic strips" in Silesia.

History: a vision, a storm and a new church

The earliest account was written in 1721 by Father Jeziorski, parish priest of nearby Sadów, in a German-language "History of the founding of the first Church of the Most Holy Trinity". According to him, a small church built around 1568 on the site of an even older one was destroyed by a storm in 1720. The present church went up in 1724 and was later extended to the west. Other tales link the site with the baptism of a legendary pagan princess, Przesława, by missionaries from Bohemia, and with a healing spring.

Until 1720 a few centimetres were shaved off a cross carved from the legendary oak every year and turned into thousands of tiny crosses, which were sold at church fairs. The money paid for repairs to the church until Father Jeziorski banned the practice in writing in 1721.

What to see

• The "soboty" – covered walkways running round the church, roofed with shingles like the rest of the building.
• The oak stump (about 2 m high and 35 cm across) with a carved niche, to the left of the high altar.
• An eight-scene painting with rhymed captions in Old Polish telling the legend of the church's founding; the regional tourist board dates it to the 17th century, while other sources say it bears the date 1564.
• Baroque altars from the first half of the 18th century, a wooden pulpit and an organ of 1886 on a choir loft resting on four posts.
• The patrons' gallery above the sacristy, reached by outside stairs.
• The chapel over the spring – it regained its original purpose under parish priest Jan Matla.

Did you know?

The church once held about 30 late Gothic sculptures from the early 16th century, probably from an earlier triptych altarpiece. More than a third were stolen; the rest were placed in the Archdiocesan Museum in Katowice, and copies stand in the altars. A display case by the altar of St John of Nepomuk holds an old bridle and a piece of a "crayfish claw", which tradition links with the building of the first church.

Tripto tip

The church stands at Świętej Trójcy 3, surrounded by a churchyard that is still in use. It is a working parish church, so the interior is easiest to see around Mass times or after contacting the parish. Allow 15 minutes to walk around the outside and about half an hour with the interior. While in Koszęcin, take a look at the palace that is home to the famous Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble.