Locations of the UNESCO inscribed wooden churches in Poland
The wooden churches of southern Lesser Poland (
Polish: drewniane kościoły południowej Małopolski) of the UNESCO inscription are located in
Binarowa,
Blizne,
Dębno,
Haczów,
Lipnica Murowana, and
Sękowa (
Lesser Poland Voivodeship or Małopolska).[1] There are in fact many others of the region which fit the description: "The wooden churches of southern Little Poland represent outstanding examples of the different aspects of medieval church-building traditions in Roman
Catholic culture. Built using the horizontal log technique, common in eastern and northern Europe since the Middle Ages..."
The wooden church style of the region originated in the late
Medieval, the late sixteenth century, and began with
Gothic ornament and
polychrome detail, but because they were timber construction, the structure, general form, and feeling is entirely different from the gothic architecture or
Polish Gothic (in stone or brick). Later construction show
Rococo and
Baroque ornamental influence. The form of these
Roman Catholic churches is deeply influenced by the
Greco-Catholic and
Orthodox presence in the region. Some display
Greek cross plans and
onion domes, but the most interesting of the churches combine these features with the Roman forms with elongated
naves and
steeples. Other collections of wooden churches of the region are in the
open-air museums in
Sanok and
Nowy Sącz.