St Kinga's Church in Żegiestów-Zdrój

The neo-Gothic parish church in Żegiestów-Zdrój stands on the slope of Mount Czerszla. It was built in 1907-1908 with donations from spa guests and dedicated to St Kinga, patron saint of the Sącz region.

From chapel to church

The founder of the spa arranged the first small chapel for patients at the Anna spring, in a former shed. In 1876 a wooden chapel was built here and served as the church until 1908. The committee for building a new church had been active since 1885, and the site on the mountain slope was obtained in exchange for land from the company that bought the spa in 1906. Construction began in 1907, and Bishop Leon Wałęga consecrated the church on 23 July 1908. A permanent pastoral post was established in 1933.

Architecture and interior

The church has a rectangular plan and is built of brick with the use of stone. It consists of a nave of four bays and a short chancel with a three-sided end, and the roof is topped with a small turret with a sanctus bell. The interior is covered with cross vaults. The main altar dates from 1908, and the side altar with a figure of St Anne from 1911. The polychrome decoration, stylised as medieval and showing scenes from the life of St Kinga and the legends connected with her, was made in 1932 by Tadeusz Terlecki. There is a stained-glass window of St Kinga in the chancel, and the church holds a copy of the painting of the canonised patron saint.

Nearby

Żegiestów also has the Church of St Anne and St Michael the Archangel. About 300 metres from the church there is a viewing platform, and Muszyna with its castle is a little over 5 kilometres away.

Practical information

• Location: Żegiestów-Zdrój, slope of Mount Czerszla.
• For service times and the possibility of visiting outside Mass, ask the parish.