Kaplica Świętej Małgorzaty i Świętej Judyty
Wayside Shrines
Chapel, Zwierzyniec district. Material: wood. A chapel is a small place of worship, often beside a cemetery, hospital or a larger church.
History
The wooden chapel on Świętej Bronisławy Street in Zwierzyniec stands on the site of an older church that was destroyed by fires in 1587 and 1656. The present building was put up in 1689-1690 under Abbess Justyna Oraczowska and dedicated to St Margaret. It is a Baroque log building on an octagonal plan, roofed with wooden shingles. The entrance is through a portal with an ogee ("donkey's back") lintel, decorated with 17th-century door fittings. In the 19th century it was suggested that the chapel stood on the site of an old pagan place of worship; since then it has been known as the Gontyna. The interior has been altered many times; today you can see two altars here: one comes from the nearby Church of the Holy Saviour, the other from the Church of St Adalbert. The chapel is on the Lesser Poland Wooden Architecture Route.
Did you know?
In front of the chapel, on the street side, stands a monument to John Paul II by Czesław Dźwigaj, blessed on 2 April 2008. It stands on the spot from which, according to tradition, Fr Karol Wojtyła led students on foot to the Mników Valley.