St Anne's Chapel in Goczałkowice-Zdrój

St Anne's little church in Goczałkowice-Zdrój was meant to stand somewhere else, out in the fields. According to local legend, the building materials mysteriously moved overnight to the present site three times – and that is where the church was finally built. Today it is a small neo-Gothic brick chapel on St Anne Street, listed as a historic monument.

History: from a wooden church to a neo-Gothic chapel

The first records of the church date from 1628. The present brick building replaced an earlier wooden one – the municipality's tourism website gives the year 1888, while the heritage register (according to data from Poland's National Heritage Board) dates the chapel to 1882. The high altar is also from 1882. The chapel is built of brick in the neo-Gothic style and is listed in the heritage register under number 521/65.

Legends

No fewer than three stories are linked to the church. The first concerns a figure of the Virgin Mary which, according to tradition, is more than 500 years old: it is said to have been found in a well by a man from Zarzecze – a village that once neighboured Goczałkowice and now lies at the bottom of Goczałkowice Lake, a reservoir. He hung the figure on a tree on the spot where the church stands today. The second legend tells of the building materials that "wandered" from the fields to the present site three nights running. The third is about the bell: ring it, and St Anne will drive away the clouds that herald a storm.

What to look for

• The high altar of 1882 – richly gilded, with a 16th-century painting, or rather icon, of St Anne with the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus on her lap.
• A painting of St Hubert under the organ loft, funded in the late 1980s by the local hunting club.
• A mission cross of 1999 in front of the church, funded by workers of the Goczałkowice dam.
• The small bell turret with its wrought-iron cross – easy to spot from the street.

Tripto tip

The chapel is at ul. św. Anny 2A. A look from outside takes a quarter of an hour at most; the interior is easiest to see during a service. Goczałkowice-Zdrój is a spa where brine has been used for treatments since 1862 – combine the walk with the Spa Park, St George's Church and the historic spa pavilions, and if you have more time, head to Goczałkowice Lake.