Church of the Assumption in Nowy Wiśnicz

The twin-towered façade of the Church of the Assumption dominates the eastern side of the market square in Nowy Wiśnicz, even though the church itself is set back as much as 100 m from the building line. Built around 1620, it is the parish church of the private town founded by the magnate Stanisław Lubomirski. Its early Baroque architecture has survived almost unchanged, and the uniform 17th-century furnishings make an impression from the moment you step inside.

History: the parish church of a magnate's town

Stanisław Lubomirski founded Nowy Wiśnicz as his residential town and planned a grand church for it from the outset. According to a later canonical visitation, the masonry church replaced a temporary wooden one from 1618. In 1620 Bishop Marcin Szyszkowski established the parish, carved out of the parishes of Stary Wiśnicz and Olchowa, and raised it to the rank of a provostry. The church was consecrated on 11 August 1647 by the Kraków auxiliary bishop Wojciech Lipnicki. The authorship of the design is debated: some scholars point to Andrea Spezza, who is said to have partly modelled it on the Camaldolese church at Bielany in Kraków, others to Maciej Trapola, an architect in the Lubomirskis' service from 1613. In the 18th century an annex was added on the north side; in 1863 the roofs burned, and in 1867 the church was restored.

What to see

• The façade – a screen wall 24 m high, divided into two storeys, with statues of Saints Peter and Paul in niches.
• The chancel with an ambulatory – semicircular and surrounded by a passage housing a vestibule, the sacristy and the former treasury.
• Baroque furnishings from the third quarter of the 17th century: the high altar with the Assumption, the side altars and the rood cross held up by putti.
• A tabernacle from around 1620 shaped like a domed chapel, choir stalls from 1671 and an early Baroque bronze font.
• The organ gallery on a wide arcade, joined to the confessionals.

Did you know?

Next to the church stands the early Baroque presbytery, built at the same time as the church and funded by the Lubomirskis – two storeys high, with a square tower on one side. It houses Jan Matejko's painting "The Raising of Lazarus" from 1867. The church, presbytery, churchyard, stone bell tower and wall with two gateways form a single listed ensemble. The interior wall paintings were made in 1962 by A. Marczyński.

Tripto tips

The church stands on Plac Kościelny, a few steps from the market square. It is a working parish church, so the interior is best seen outside Mass times. Thirty minutes is enough for an unhurried look. The church, the market square and the Lubomirski castle on the hill make a natural walk through the former magnate's town – allow half a day.