ŁOPUSZNA - Church of the Holy Trinity and St. Anthony the Abbot
The church, which we strongly encourage you to visit, is probably the second structure in this place. In 1504, it was consecrated by Jan Konarski, the bishop of Cracow and it received the name of the Holy Trinity, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Stanislaus and St. Anthony the Abbot. The tower, which holds three bells, was added in the 17th century. The last renovations, which impacted the structure of the church, took place in the years 1934-1935, after the flood.
Church
IN ŁOPUSZNA
According to the most daring estimates, the Late Gothic church in Łopuszna was to have been built in 1240. This is an impressive date, however the only source that confirms it are folk legends. Historians lean towards the 14th century when the village was located here. We have sources proving that already in 1400 religious service took place here. In 1596, after the death of the parish priest, there was nobody to manage the parish and it became part of the parish in Ostrowsko. Łopuszna regained “independence” in 1792, when the parish was restored.
The church, which we strongly encourage you to visit, is probably the second structure in this place. In 1504, it was consecrated by Jan Konarski, the bishop of Cracow and it received the name of the Holy Trinity, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Stanislaus and St. Anthony the Abbot. The tower, which holds three bells, was added in the 17th century. The last renovations, which impacted the structure of the church, took place in the years 1934-1935, after the flood.
This wooden, oriented church has one nave and a presbytery with a sacristy on the northern side. In earlier times, its entire interior was decorated with stencil polychromies executed in the 16th century. Only its fragments have been preserved until today and they can be admired on old ceiling boards. The majority of the paintings in the entrance hall under the tower and on the rood beam are a new version of the old paintings. In 1932, portals in the form of a pointed arch so characteristic for the Gothic were replaced with rectangular ones.
The church has extraordinarily rich and style-wise heterogenous furnishings. The main altar is decorated with a Gothic triptych from 1460. It is one of the greatest sculpted treasures of the Małopolska region. It depicts the coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Holy Trinity. We can also admire the representation of St. Francis, St. Anthony of the Desert, St. Leonard and St. Bernardine of Siena.
Side altars were executed in the first half of the 18th century and were maintained in the Baroque style. Other 18th century relics include the painting of the adoration of the Holy Trinity and the great Lent veil presenting the procession to Calvary.
The above-mentioned tower has a chamber and the bells inside date respectively from: 1540, 1732 and 2006. The first one has the following inscription: “Ave Maria Gracia [Ple]na, Dominus Tecum”, the second has initials of its unknown founder and the appeal “Antone Eremita Ora Pro Nobis” (Anthony of the Desert, pray for us). The last and the most recent one is dedicated to the memory of John Paul II.
Sources:
ŁOPUSZNA - Church of the Holy Trinity and St. Anthony the Abbot
COFUNDED BY THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND NATIONAL HERITAGE
ORIGINATING FROM CULTURE PROMOTION FUND