Churches & monasteries

Church in the Field near Sidzina

At the edge of Sidzina in the Nysa County, alone in the middle of fields along the Niemodlin–Nysa road, stands the church of the Finding of the Holy Cross and Our Lady of Częstochowa — a temple no street leads to, yet pilgrims from the whole region arrive here every year. Its location was chosen by a legend of a cross that kept returning to the field.

The cross that returned

Local tradition says a farmer ploughing his field found a cross in the ground and carried it to the church — but the cross kept inexplicably returning to the field. When the scene repeated several times, people took it as a sign and built a chapel here; the event is commemorated by a sgraffito by the entrance. A chapel stood here already in 1680, and the present church was raised in 1873, in the second half of the 19th century.

Surviving the air raid

The most remarkable story comes from 1944: according to witnesses, eight bombs were dropped on the church and not one of them hit — the temple survived the raid unscathed. Inside, a copy of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa is venerated, blessed during a pilgrimage to Jasna Góra.

Feasts and practicalities

The church is used for indulgence feasts; the main services take place on 3 May and 14 September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The church is clearly visible from the Niemodlin–Nysa road. Nearby: the manor in Kopice (7 km), the arboretum in Lipno (11 km), Niemodlin Castle (13 km), the Nysa fortress (15 km) and Moszna Castle (27 km).