SĘKOWA
Church of St Philip and St James the Apostles
(Polska, Małopolskie Province, Gorlice District)

The church is a valuable example of the Gothic carpentry construction tradition.

It was built in the first quarter of the 16th century, of mortise and tenon (log) structure, single-nave, with a three-sided closed presbytery. In the 17th century, it was surrounded by eaves and extended west by a low chambered tower with a faux belfry. The tower is topped with a dome with a lantern and a spherical cupola, open on the ground level, with an exposed pole structure. A steep shingled roof with a single ridgepole distinguishes the silhouette of the church. The preserved Gothic portals in the shape of a donkey’s back lead to the interior, with a nave covered by a flat ceiling with entablatures.

It is furnished with a stone baptismal font from 1522, a crucifix on the cross-beam from the early 16th century, a high altar with images of St Nicholas, St Anthony, and St Benedict, and the scene of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary from the early 17th century and side altars from the 20th century.

Already in the 19th century, the church aroused the interest of heritage enthusiasts. In 1888, it was drawn by Stanisław Wyspiański. The history of its conservation is an essential part of the history of monuments preservation in Poland.