THE DEVIL TUTIVILLUS, GOTHIC CHURCHES AND CHURCHES OF THE "RUTHENIAN ISLAND" - LEARN ABOUT THE WOODEN ARCHITECTURE ROUTE NEAR RZESZÓW

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THE DEVIL TUTIVILLUS, GOTHIC CHURCHES AND CHURCHES OF THE "RUTHENIAN ISLAND" - LEARN ABOUT THE WOODEN ARCHITECTURE ROUTE NEAR RZESZÓW

Quickly tapping her legs, she imagined his winged form and huge hands noting her tardiness on a scroll of parchment. But this time she was not late for Mass. She sighed with relief. This is how a believer, who was afraid of the severe devil Tutivillus depicted there in the polychrome, might have thought when rushing to the church in Poręby Dymarskie in the 17th century.

79 Poręby Dymarskie kościół parafialny pw. św. Stanisława i Wojciecha 8_fot. K. Kłysewicz.webp [1.58 MB]

Poręba Dymarskie parish church of St. Stanisław and Wojciech, photo: K.Kłysewicz

The only representation of the devil Tutivillus in Poland can be seen 40 km north of Rzeszów in the Church of St. Stanisław and Wojciech. The devil is sitting here under the pulpit, with a scroll of parchment and a bird's quill in his hand. Except for his wings, he has bull's horns on his head, and hellish smoke billows from his mouth. Behind him we can see the faces of condemned sinners. The Porębski devil was only waiting for the faults of the faithful to be able to note them on his devil's list. Not only did he get angry for being late, Tutivillus also kept an eye out for Catholics sleeping during mass.

This is not the only amazing polychrome in this church, we also admire scenes from the New Testament painted in the 17th century. Our attention is also drawn to the original equipment of the temple, preserved to this day. The main altar with the image of Our Lady with the Child, who is adored by Saint Stanislaus and Wojciech, and two side altars date back to the 17th and 18th centuries!

Near Poręby, there is another Church worth visiting - the 17th-century church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Cmolas. There is a legend associated with the foundation of the church. According to a folk tale, on August 6, 1585, the thirteen-year-old son of the nobleman Wojciech Borowiusz, returning from the parish school, experienced a revelation. Among the clouds, Jesus appeared to him with open arms, surrounded by all the saints. Years later, Borowiusz built a chapel on the site of the revelation and a hospital nearby. In 1646, the Transfiguration Church was built.

78 Cmolas kościół filialny pw. Przemienienia Pańskiego_fot. K. Kłysewicz.webp [1.43 MB]

Cmolas branch church of the Transfiguration, photo: K. Kłysewicz

66 Nowosielce Kościół parafialny pw. św. Marii Magdaleny_fot. K. Kłysewicz.webp [2.12 MB]

Nowosielce Parish Church of St. of Mary Magdalene, photo by K. Kłysewicz

It is a real discovery for us that in order to admire wooden Orthodox churches we do not have to go south of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship. All you need to do is drive 30 km from Rzeszów! Now, let’s dive into the church world of the Strzyżów district. We head to Bonarówka and Blizianka. To the north of Krosno, there are several villages that once formed a specific "Ruthenian island", which has been preserved among the highest hills of the Dynowskie Foothills. The end of its existence was brought about by deportations in the 1940s. There are a few Orthodox churches testifying to the former inhabitants of this land. The most charming of the local wooden temples is the church of the Protection of the Mother of God from the 17th century, which gained its final shape in 1841.

We are now in search of Gothic wooden gems. For this purpose, we will cross the Strzyżów district. We will have the opportunity to admire one of the oldest wooden churches in Poland of the Gothic type, and in particular their harmonious combination of individual blocks or the gradual steepness of the roof and shingles. We reach the first of them, the church of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lutcza (approx. 1464). In the pleasant and cozy interior of the temple, we admire the windows in the "donkey's back" characteristic of the era and the window in the form of a four-leaf clover, as well as charming late-baroque altars.

We move further east to admire another Gothic gem. We reach one of the most valuable examples of a late-Gothic wooden temple in Podkarpacie and in Poland - the parish church of St. Nicholas in Lubla. Here, in addition to Gothic architecture, Gothic and late-Gothic paintings await us. For a long time we admire the Misericordia Domini painting of Christ with the traces of passion, standing in the tomb. In the main altar we discover Gothic paintings depicting the Mother of God and the patron of the church, St. Nicholas.

Lutcza parish church of St. Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 4, photo by K. Kłysewicz

In the last temple we visit, we are captivated by the steep, gothic roof covered with shingles. We are in the church of St. Catherine in Gogołów. Here, apart from baroque and rococo paintings and altars, we discovered a late-gothic baptismal font from the beginning of the 16th century.

It would be a sin to be in the vicinity of Rzeszów and miss the unique Galician wooden town. So, let us invite you to Pruchnik. Pruchnik is the most beautiful wooden town in the Podkarpackie Province. Its charm lies not only in its architecture, but also in its extremely picturesque location on a high hill overlooking the Mleczka valley.

75 Lubla Kościół parafialny pw. św. Mikołaja 4_fot. K. Kłysewicz.webp [2.36 MB]

Lubla Parish Church of St. Mikołaja 4, photo: K. Kłysewicz

What captivates us here is the atmosphere of old times and the amazing architecture of wooden houses located on the market square of this town and its individual elements such as arcades or wooden decorated poles. Standing on the Pruchnik market square, we can easily imagine stalls formerly set up in the arcades, craftsmen trading and local residents looking at the goods.

The cherry on top awaits us a bit east, near Przeworsk. In Nowosielce, we set off on another historical journey owing to the church St. Maria Magdalena. Interestingly, the church towering over the area had, in its original form, earth and wooden fortifications, which made it easier to resist Tatar raids or robbers. The inhabitants of the village found refuge in this former fortress during raids and even repulsed the attacks of the Tatar horde. In 1624, they resisted the invaders, taking refuge in the church and standing under the leadership of the mayor Michał Pyrz to defend it. The victory of the peasants of Nowosielce and their mayor became a legend. We also admire a relatively new combination of stone and wood in the form of the ground floor of the tower. In turn, inside it we can see unique gothic, oak guild chests and a painting of the Virgin Mary with the Child from the 16th century. In the vicinity of Nowosielce, we discover more wooden gems in the following towns: Siennów, Krzeczowice and Kosina.

These are not the only wooden wonders in the vicinity of Rzeszów. More wooden monuments can be found at: sad.podkarpackie.travel