Older than many of the town houses, consumed by fire time and again and rebuilt every time. Its organ, built in 1679, still plays.
The parish church remembers the days when, in 1299, the parish priest Jakub signed himself plebanus de Antiqua Civitate. It was originally dedicated to St Elizabeth and St Margaret – Kinga’s aunt and sister. The Gothic church was built at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Fire struck it many times: after Ścibor’s raid in 1410, in the great fire of 1644 and in the disaster of 1795. Each time the townspeople raised the church from its ruins. A portal from 1622 and a bell from 1647 survive. The date of the tower is disputed. Most often 1686 is given, with the name of the builder Paweł Beber, though some date it to around 1622. In 1961–1962 18th-century wall paintings were uncovered.
The most precious thing here is its voice. In 1679 Jan Głowiński built an organ that plays to this day. Since 2024 the church has hosted the “1679.org” organ festival, named after the year the instrument was built. When you visit, remember that this is a working parish church.
Photographs
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The parish church of St Elizabeth of Hungary photo Henryk Bielamowicz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source -
St Elizabeth’s parish church in 1916 photo unknown author · Public domain · Source
This place then and now →
