Church of the Visitation, Sucha Beskidzka

In Sucha Beskidzka, two churches linked by a corridor share the dedication to the Visitation of the Virgin Mary: an intimate stone "old church" of 1613–1614 and Teodor Talowski's monumental parish church with a 54-metre tower. The first holds the crypt of the castle's founders; the second has an interior of bare brick with biblical scenes painted directly onto it.

History: founded by the lord of the castle

The old church was founded in 1613–1614 by Piotr Komorowski, owner of the castle in Sucha. Between 1614 and 1624 it was looked after by Bernardine friars from Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. In 1624 Komorowski added a late-Renaissance monastery, joined to the church by an arcaded corridor, and brought in the Canons Regular of Corpus Christi from Kraków. The order remained until 1782, when the Austrian authorities, then ruling this part of Poland, dissolved it; the former monastery now serves as the presbytery.

By the late 19th century the old church had become too small. The new one was designed by Teodor Talowski and built in 1895–1907 with funds from the Branicki counts and Sucha's railway workers. It was not consecrated until 1956. During the Second World War the old church was plundered: the bells were taken and the stained glass, windows and roof destroyed.

The old church: what to see

• A stone, late-Gothic building with buttresses, no tower, a small Baroque bell turret and Renaissance details.
• The founder's coat of arms on a buttress of the west wall.
• The Komorowski crypt beneath the chancel, where Piotr Komorowski rests with his second wife Marianna, née Bnińska, and Brother Mikołaj Komorowski.
• A Rococo music gallery on four Ionic columns, a Rococo high altar and five side altars, a Baroque Assumption on the chancel vault and many epitaphs.
• Two Renaissance majolica panels on the façade of the former monastery, showing the Crucifixion and the founder's coat of arms.

Talowski's new parish church

The church blends Romanesque and Gothic forms. Its façade with a rose window forms one whole with the 54-metre tower, which carries sandstone figures by Jan Cingros of Olomouc. The interior was left unplastered – biblical scenes and ornaments are painted straight onto the brick. The high altar of 1912 (designed by Zygmunt Hendel, made by Antoni Madeyski) has a base of Carrara marble and, instead of a carved retable, a stained-glass window of the Visitation. The pulpit with its star vault was designed by Talowski himself, and the Branicki family's Korczak coat of arms appears on the gallery.

Interesting facts

The new church is not oriented to the east – its chancel faces south-east. From the ambulatory behind the altar a corridor with the sacristy leads straight into the old church, so you can see both interiors without stepping outside. In the former churchyard, used as a cemetery until 1836, three of the original seven chapels survive; one was rebuilt in 1818 as a bell tower and tomb of the Wielkopolski family.

Tripto tip

Start in the new church, then take the corridor into the old one – the contrast between monumental brick and an intimate Rococo interior works best in that order. Allow 45–60 minutes for both churches and the courtyard. Both are active churches, so it is easiest to get in before or after services. The complex is on Kościelna Street, not far from the Komorowski castle, so the two sights make one easy walk.