OWCZARY
Tserkva of Our Lady’s Protection
Currently a Roman Catholic Church of the parish in Sękowa
(Poland, Małopolska province, Gorlice district)

The temple is one of the most valuable Lemko Tserkvas and represents an early example of the West Lemko type.

It was erected in 1653. The structure is tripartite, of mortise and tenon (log) construction. In 1701 it was extended with a sanctuary with a vestry, and in 1783 with a tower. It is one of the few with the preserved signatures of the carpenters: Dimitr Dekowekin and Teodor Rusynko from Biesiadka. Above the nave and the sanctuary are separate square-based roofs, with triple off-sets, passing into slender bubble turrets. With a faux bell chamber, the tower is topped with a mortise and tenon (log) cupola. The walls and roofs of the church are covered with shingles. The west portal with a lintel in the shape of a donkey’s back is distinguished by the engraved date of construction of the temple. Mortise and tenon (log) tent domes cover the nave and sanctuary.

The interior is decorated with figural polychromy from 1938. The decor is complemented by a Baroque iconostasis from the 18th century (some of the icons were painted by Jan Medici in 1712) and Baroque side altars. The conservation work on the building was awarded the Europa Nostra Prize in 1995.