The Church of St. James the Elder in Szczyrk

This historic church is located on the Silesian Wooden Architecture Route. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in Szczyrk. In the seventeenth century, the town belonged to the parish of Państwo Łodygowickie. For residents of Szczyrk, a trip to Sunday Mass and back took the whole day. So when they finally could afford it, they wanted to have their own chapel in the village. When they failed to buy one from Mikuszowice, they decided on a difficult challenge of building their own church. At that time, due to the partitioning, Szczyrk found itself within the Austrian bounds, which meant there was no possibility to belong to the parish of Łodygowice. Under the imperial decree, in April 1787, a local chapel was built in Szczyrk. The construction of the church began, however, no earlier than 10 years later, and it was completed in 1800.

The parish received most of the things necessary for the celebration of the liturgy from the liquidated church of the Norbertines. A bell from 1691 is its oldest monument. The equipment includes a valuable stole sewn from a noble waist belt and baroque candlesticks from 1775. Inside the church, in the apse there is a historic crucifix placed on a wooden beam from 1797. A late baroque pulpit with figures of the Evangelists and a baptismal font from 1800, and stone fonts from 1800 standing next to the door are also worth mentioning. On the walls of the church there are Baroque paintings, including a portrait of St. James and the Stations of the Cross.

Address:

ul. Kolorowa 1
43-370 Szczyrk