Parish Church of Blessed Bronislawa in Balice, photo Олег Мусійовський, 2010
Licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0, Źródło: Wikimedia Commons, Warunki licencji
Fotografia przedstawiająca Parish Church of Blessed Bronislawa in Balice
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ID: POL-002084-P/162401

Parish Church of Blessed Bronislawa in Balice

ID: POL-002084-P/162401

Parish Church of Blessed Bronislawa in Balice

Historical outline
Balice used to be called "Balicze". The earliest records of this village, located near the present-day border between Ukraine and Poland, appeared as early as the 13th century, when Jaćwings, Hungarians and Pieczyngs were settled here. The first recorded owner of the village was Jan Czech, who came from Przemyśl. Afterwards, Balice passed into the hands of Wańko of Zadora coat of arms, whose descendants (or still him) took over the surname "Balicki". Later, the village was ruled by various families, such as: Hermanowski, Romerzy, Ostrowski, Tarnowski, Susski, Podlewski, Danilowicz, Karczewski, Hermanowski and Nowosielski. In the meantime (1633), part of the estate was also managed by the Jarosław Jesuits. In the second half of the 19th century the estate found itself in the hands of the Skibniewskis, who ruled it until World War II.

Balice had always belonged to the parish of Hussakov, but in 1911 the idea of creating a separate pastoral unit here emerged. One member of the Skibniewski family named Dominik was a priest. It was he who created the mass foundation, which was approved a year later. His efforts were continued by his brother Władysław, who in 1918 put forward a proposal to establish an exposition. At the same time, he announced his intention to build a new church. The Balice chapel had already existed since the 19th century. In the natural course of events, it took over as the main religious building. It is what we refer to today as the Church of Blessed Bronislawa. However, the intentions were more ambitious. A vicarage was built between 1924 and 1927. Consent to form an independent parish was given in 1927.

Plans to build a full-sized church were thwarted by the Second World War. It is worth noting, however, that the chapel standing in the village (which is now officially the church of Bl. Bronislawa) is not one of the smallest buildings. According to pre-war sources, it was classified as a building "for 400 people".

After the Great World War, the church remained open until 1958, when it was abandoned by the last parish priest, who decided to move west. The building stood empty until 1989. The local Roman Catholic community reclaimed it and carried out renovations. At the end of the 1990s, the church functioned as part of the parish in Trzcieniec. Today, it is served by priests from Szegyń.

Architecture
The building is situated on a slight hill. Its extremely graceful silhouette blends in wonderfully with the intimate landscape. The first thing that catches the eye is the façade. It is single-axis and single-storey, but the stepped gable with a little bell turret adds to its character. A rectangular wooden door with fittings and the initials "BS" leads into the church. The signature turret is in the form of a gatepost with a pointed-arch opening. Below it is the date "1895".

In terms of massing, this is a single-nave building with an attached lower and narrower single-span chancel facing west. The roof over the nave is gabled and that over the chancel is multi-pitched. It is entirely covered with sheet metal. The exterior elevations are varied with articulated sharp-arched recesses interspersed with windows of the same shape.

The interior elevations have no architectural articulation. The nave is covered with a ceiling and the chancel with an apparent crystal vault. The rainbow arcade (i.e. the ceiling section separating the nave from the chancel) is pointed-arch. All the main windows are rectangular and closed with pointed arches. The wooden music choir is located in the east bay of the nave and is accessed via steps in the south-east corner.

Highlights of the church's decoration, furnishings and surroundings include:
. - Neo-Gothic main altar (19th century). In the field is a painting of Bl. Bronislaus with the Holy Trinity,
. - Paintings (19th-20th c.): 1. Sacred Heart of Jesus; 2. Our Lady of Ostra Brama; 3. Christ of Milaty; 4. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception; 5. St Teresa,
. - Wooden sculptures: 1. the Risen Christ; 2. Christ in the Tomb; 3. the Sacred Heart of Jesus; 4. Our Lady Immaculately Conceived,
- Pheretrons: 1. neo-Gothic, wooden, in the form of a wimperga; with images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 19th century; | 2. metal,
. - Blessed Bronislawa reliquary, neo-Gothic, metal, w. XIX-XX.

Time of origin:
1892-1895
Bibliography:
  • Andrzej Betlej „Kościół parafialny p.w. Bł. Bronisławy w Balicach.” W: „Materiały do dziejów sztuki sakralnej na ziemiach wschodnich dawnej Rzeczypospolitej. Cz. 1: Kościoły i klasztory rzymskokatolickie dawnego województwa ruskiego” T. 7. Kraków: Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury w Krakowie, 1999, 29-32.
Supplementary bibliography:
Publikacja:
21.07.2024
Ostatnia aktualizacja:
25.10.2024
Author:
Michał Dziadosz
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