Churches & monasteries

Church of All Saints in Górki Wielkie

On the right bank of the Brennica in Górki Wielkie stands the Church of All Saints — one of the oldest temples of the Cieszyn Silesia region. The village was first recorded in 1305 and the local parish in 1417; the Gothic presbytery and the older part of the nave date from the 15th century.

The stone tower of 1662

In 1662 a wider nave section and a massive stone tower were added to the medieval body; the tower still towers over the village rooftops. Inside, a late Gothic sacristy portal survives with the coat of arms of the Górecki family, the former owners of these estates; the Renaissance font of the 16th century, funded by Jan Górecki, now serves as the stoup by the entrance. Beside it stands a baroque pulpit from the 18th century, and the gate leading to the church grounds contains the tomb slab of Henryk Górecki, who died in 1682. In 1980 the interior was painted with murals by the Morawiec brothers.

Bats under protection

The church attic is home to bat colonies — one of the most valuable sites in the region: in August some 190 greater mouse-eared bats and 75 lesser horseshoe bats are counted here. That is why the church and its immediate surroundings are protected as the Natura 2000 site "Church in Górki Wielkich".

In the footsteps of Zofia Kossak

In the cemetery established in 1858 behind the church lie the writer Zofia Kossak with her husband Zygmunt Szatkowski, and the folk writer Walenty Krząszcz. Nearby there is a museum in the writer's last apartment, while the Kossak manor, burned down in the Second World War, has been revitalised. The church is open throughout the week.