The Sacred Lesser Poland Heritage

History of work

The parish in Gorenice existed already in the 1430's, and the first church dedicated to St. Nicholas was mentioned by Jan Długosz in "Liber beneficiorum" in 1470. Its existence is also confirmed by the episcopal visitations of 1598, 1602 and 1611. It was most probably a single-nave wooden building with: a wooden sacristy added to it from the north, a separate, free-standing bell tower, and a ridge turret. Its interior was re-covered with a painted ceiling. This temple was equipped with three altars; the high altar was made of brick. On a chancel wall there was a sculpture of Christ Crucified. The wooden building was destroyed in the mid-17th century, probably due to its antiquity. The construction of a new brick church was commenced around 1645 by Aleksander Szembek of Słupowo, the burgrave of the Cracow castle. After his death, his son Karol Szembek (also a Cracovian burgrave) continued the work and he managed to erect the walls up to the windows' height. The construction of the church in Gorenice was completed only in 1673 by Szembek's widow, Krystyna Dembian (Dembińska), with the help of her third husband, Maciej Aleksander Tarnowski of Tarnów, a master of foxhounds of Łęczyca and the Starost of Siewiersk. The consecration of the church on "the first Sunday after the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel" was performed by an independent bishop and suffragan of Cracow – Mikołaj Oborski (1611-1689). According to the marble memorial plaque built into the western wall of the temple, the building erected then under the organ loft was not solid and needed to be repaired. Endangered with a construction disaster, the church was partially demolished and rebuilt in the years 1726-1731. This was done by the son of Maciej and Krystyna – Michał Stanisław Tarnowski, together with his wife, Róża (née Rylska) Ściborówna. Thanks to their efforts, the facade and side walls of the temple were erected anew. The couple also funded a new floor and furnishings for the temple: altars, liturgical vessels and vestments.

Abstract

The parish in Gorenice already existed in the 1330s. The first church dedicated to St. Nicholas was mentioned by Jan Długosz in „Liber beneficiorum” in 1470, as well as bishop’s visitations in 1598, 1602 and 1611. The building was destroyed around the middle of the 17th century, thus around 1645 the construction of a new brick church commenced, funded by the burgrave of the Cracow castle - Aleksander Szembek from Słupów. After his death, his son Karol Szembek continued the works and he managed to bring the walls up to the windows' height. Around 1673, construction of the temple in Gorenice was completed by Karol Shembek's widow - Krystyna Dembian (Dembińska) with the help of her third husband - Maciej Aleksander from Tarnów Tarnowski. The church was consecrated by bishop Mikołaj Oborski (1611-1689). At the beginning of the 18th century, the building required a repair. In 1731, with the effort of Michał Stanisław Tarnowski and his wife Róża Ściborówna of Rylsko, the walls of the temple were re-erected, the floor was replaced and the new furnishings of the temple were funded: altars, vessels and liturgical vestments. The church in Gorenice is a characteristic example of the Early Baroque sacral architecture with preserved precious masonry detail and baroque and rococo decor. It presents modest stylistic features typical for rural sacral buildings of the second half of the 17th century.