All Saints' Church in Babice

In the centre of Babice, less than a kilometre from Lipowiec Castle, stands a pale church with a tall front tower. Its parish was founded as early as 1337, and the present building hides layers from several periods: a medieval chancel, a Baroque rebuilding, Rococo furnishings and a 19th-century extension.

History

In 1524 Jan Konarski founded a church here, which later burned. A new one, reusing the surviving chancel, nave and sacristy, was built in 1763 at the expense of the Bishop of Kraków, Kajetan Ignacy Sołtyk. In 1891–1898 the nave was lengthened and a pair of chapels added to plans by local architect Franciszek Urbańczyk, and in 1909 a tower was added to the façade. The church was damaged during fighting in the area in January 1945.

What to see

• The Rococo furnishings of 1778 and altar paintings by Wojciech Eliasz and M. Przybysławowicz.
• The epitaphs of Franciszek and Antonina Łącki with portraits painted on metal, in Dębnik marble, from the 1880s.
• The epitaph of Józefa Sanocka on the outer wall, in sandstone and marble.
• The brick bell tower and gravestones in the former churchyard.
• Three small-leaved limes – protected trees with girths of up to 360 cm.

Interesting fact

On 2 April 1866 Franciszek Hodur was baptised in Babice – later the founder of the Polish National Catholic Church in the United States.

Tripto tip

The interior is easiest to see before or after Mass; the Sanocka epitaph and bell tower can be seen at any time. Allow 15–20 minutes. Combine it with the open-air museum in Wygiełzów below Lipowiec and the wooden church in Mętków.