"The Heritage of Lipnica Murowana" - A Thematic Walk
"The Heritage of Lipnica Murowana" - A Thematic Walk
"The Heritage of Lipnica Murowana" - A Thematic Walk
Introduction
In our everyday life, not only do we seek a sense of security, but also a sense of
belonging, which enables us to understand both our own selves and the
surrounding reality of ‘here and now’. This is possible if we reach to the past,
which surrounds us everywhere. It manifests itself not only through material
objects, but also through stories, memories, everyday life routines, and rituals
related to special events. Buildings are durable traces of the past, while
immaterial resources constitute the binder that fills whole narrative with a
content and anchors it in the present.
In a moment, you will embark on a journey that will acquaint you with the
heritage of Lipnica Murowana. You will learn the history of this place, but—
first of all—the people who inhabit it, their stories, traditions and customs.
During some stages of this journey, you will be accompanied by several specific
persons who are particularly remembered by the citizens of Lipnica and who
played an important role in the building of their identity. On each stage, you will
be able to discover this little town with your own senses: to smell the wood of
which the oldest buildings here are built, admire the colourful flowers that
1
decorate the famous Easter palms, listen to the conversations of the locals, or
touch the oldest historical monuments in Lipnica.
The route you enter will allow you to discover Lipnica as seen by its inhabitants
every day. Plots concerning the history and heritage of Lipnica Murowana and
motifs related to the local saints and their cult places interweave during this
walk. The route and the stories of the places you will visit should take you
around 1.5 h. You will walk about 2 km.
You will begin the walk at the monument of Władysław Łokietek. Although the
history of Lipnica reaches back to the 12th century, when the first parish was
enacted here, it was formally established by the king in the 14th century. The
legend has it that the king founded the city as a thanksgiving for the miraculous
recovery, as he had got lost in a wood during a hunt.
(...) The king was exhausted with the chase, so he summoned his courtiers with
his horn,
He tooted the horn as a bugler before a battle and the wind carried the call
away.
However, the deafening silence prevailed, there were no courtiers, no trace of
the dogs,
But a beacon of hope lightened, when the king found a trail trough the woods.
And in that spot where a lime tree greeted the king, it spoke to him in the
following words:
“I want Lipnica to become a city”, and he marked the tree with his sword.
The king wrote down town privileges and rights, and granted his demesne,
And thus the new Lipnica was founded and since then also masoned.
2
The importance of Lipnica in the Kingdom of Poland grew quickly, which was
vastly due to its favourable location. It lay at one of the most important political
and trade routes in the Kingdom, the so-called Hungarian Route.
Since the 14th century, Lipnica developed brightly, and being a typical town of
crafts and trade, it was famous for its numerous markets and fairs.
It thrived, especially in the middle ages, which brought the influx of new
inhabitants. This naturally resulted in a change in the spatial design of the city.
There was also life going on outside the city walls, whose minor debris are still
visible on the outskirts of the main market square. The city began to develop in
two directions. Toward Wiśnicz, along the so-called Górzański Brook, emerged
Przedmieście Górne (or the upper suburb). Looking to the left from Władysław
Łokietek’s monument, beyond the Uszwica River, one can see Przedmieście
Dolne (or the lower suburb). Over time, these two suburban areas developed into
separate villages.
Turn in the direction of St. Szymon’s church. The object you see now is
currently the only sanctuary in Poland dedicated to this patron. St. Szymon was
born in Lipnica around 1435 in a poor but hardworking and pious family. His
parents, Anna and Grzegorz, were local bakers. He was baptized in St. Andrew’s
church, in a stone baptismal font, which we can observe today. Although no
documents relating to his younghood have been preserved, the local tales
describe his great piety and eagerness to help others. According to a legend, he
put out a fire destroying the city with his prayer. His father’s purse was always
filling up despite the fact that St. Szymon used to give bread loaves to the poor.
1
R. Gustaw OFM, K. Grudziński OFM, supplements W. Murawiec OFM, Święty Szymon z Lipnicy (1435–
1482), Cracow 2007, p. 46.
3
He is also said to have had the ability to talk with the saints depicted in St.
Leonard’s church.
His fame of sanctity lasts since his death in 1482. Until his last days, despite the
associated danger, he helped the sick and dying in the royal city grasped by the
epidemy of cholera. He died from the disease five days after he caught it, on
July 18. He was buried in the crypt under the altar in St. Bernard's church in
Stradom. In 1685, that is almost 200 years after his departure, he was declared
blessed on the base of the immemorial cult. There are texts describing visits paid
to the suffering by Bernardines from Stradom with the cloak and belt of St.
Szymon. Upon touching the relics, the sick were healed. Although efforts
leading to the canonization of Szymon were undertaken in the 18 th century, he
was raised to the altars yet by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. The miracle enlisted
in the canonization documents consisted in the healing of a Cracow pharmacist,
Maria Piątek, originally from Lipnica, who suffered from cerebral congestion,
was paralysed and lost the ability to speak. St. Szymon, the worshipper of the
Mother of God, is particularly venerated in Lipnica Murowana and Cracow. The
attributes with which he is commonly depicted include the cross, a loaf of bread
and the Holy Scripture. The day of his death is the memorial of the saint. On that
day, the faithful may taste the bread rolls of St. Szymon, which he once gave
away in Lipnica. The church fair, organized since 1990, includes a Review of
Religious Songs with a reward in the form of St. Szymon’s figurine.
If the church is open, go inside. Before entering it, notice the relief of St.
Szymon above the door and the stained-glass window depicting Holy Mary of
Częstochowa.
Enter the church. St. Szymon’s church stands on the site of his former family
house. It was built in 1636 thanks to the efforts of Stanisław Lubomirski,
according to the order of King Władysław IV, who attributed his victory over
the Turkish army in the battle of Chocim to the support of this saint. He ordered
4
the erection of the church in the saint’s hometown as a votive offering. The
temple was built in the baroque style, on a rectangular plan with two chapels.
Take a look at the main altar made in 1860 in the rococo-neo-gothic style. It
depicts St. Szymon in the company of his confreres. The church was rebuilt in
the 1960s thanks to the generosity of Lipnica citizens living in America. The
pipe organ inside comes from the 19th century.
Find the thanking plaques embedded in the church’s wall. They tell about the
contribution of Lipnica citizens living in America in the reconstruction of St.
5
Szymon’s church. They are to the left from the entrance. The Lipnica diaspora
in America is quite big and does not forget its roots, generously co-funding
noble initiatives undertaken in their little homeland. The plaques embedded in
St. Szymon church’s wall bear a testimony of this. One them, made out in 1934,
says: “In the honour of the children living across the ocean for their attachment
and generosity. Macierz Lipnica, 1934”. And the other one reads as follows:
“This little church was rebuilt in the years 1964—66 thanks to the generosity of
the inhabitants of Lipnica living in America and the contribution and efforts of
Prelate Franciszek Bardel. This plaque is embedded here for future generations
by thankful compatriots and inhabitants of Lipnica on the 50 th anniversary of his
priestly ordination in the 1966 year of the Lord.”
Leave the church and stand by the well with the monument of St. Szymon
nearby. The spring that emerged in the 16th century is ascribed wonderful
qualities due to St. Szymon. It is said to heal various conditions of the eyes and
throat, and even infertility. St. Szymon is a patron of mothers awaiting their
offspring.
Before leaving the church’s area, look up and observe the bell-gable, which is
also the entrance gate. Maybe you will enjoy the opportunity to listen to the
melodic voice of the bells, which are called after the Lipnica saints: Szymon,
Urszula and Maria Teresa.
Facing Władysław Łokietek’s monument, look to the right. At the end of the
street, you can see a square. Since the middle ages it was the local market
square. Let’s go there. There is a column with a monument of St. Szymon in the
centre of the square. The city’s coat of arms is presented at the foot of the
column. When you turn your back to it, you will see what remains from the
medieval architecture of Lipnica. Slightly to the left stands the house of Starosta,
6
or the governor of Lipnica, built from sandstone, which was a popular material
in the middle ages. The builders used stones obtained from the debris of the city
walls.
Although since the beginning of the 15th century Lipnica was called Murowana,
that is masoned, due to its architecture, it is worth noting that the vast majority
of the oldest buildings (apart from churches, defensive walls and the manor
house) was built of wood. It consisted of minor one-storey log houses with
whitewashed or timbered walls, the most handsome of which surrounded the
square. These houses had deep arcades supported by massive pillars. They thus
formed long communication routes around the square.
However, the oldest buildings in Lipnica preserved until today were built in the
first half of the 19th century, because the former development was almost
completely destroyed in a fire in 1828. The citizens rebuilt the burnt houses in
an almost unchanged shape. The masonry arcaded governor’s house standing in
the north west corner of the square and built in 1685 is a good example of that
reconstruction.
A nearby building, just at the street, houses the famous traditional ice cream
parlour “u Szymona”, which attracts gourmands not only from Lipnica, but also
from the neighbouring Bochnia and even from Cracow.
From among 15 wooden arcaded houses only one has been preserved in its
original structure and form. It stands in the western part of the northern frontage
of the square. Built in 1848, it is probably the oldest wooden house of the type in
the Małopolska Region. It represents a wooden construction characteristic for
the development of Lipnica, in which only the cellar vaults were made of stone.
Take a look at the beams that support the ceiling and the deep arcade with three
decoratively carved wooden pillars. This house was rebuilt in 2011, but
elements of the previous architecture were preserved.
7
There is a reminder of the great fire of 1828 in the shape of the statue of St.
Florian, the patron of firefighters, raised at the spot where the square of the new
city was planned to be located. The saint was supposed to protect the city from
fires. The historical figure stands on a plinth, which features a relief depicting
King Casimir III the Great. It was founded by the inheritor of the Lipnica estate,
Kazimierz Bzowski. The inscription on the plinth reads as follows: “To
commemorate the establishment of this square, 1837”. Eventually, the new city
was not built, but part of the municipality of Lipnica Dolna kept the name Nowe
Miasto (which means a new city).
Standing on the square in Lipnica, let’s imagine what this place could have
looked like on a typical trading day. We are surrounded by the hubbub of talks
between the inhabitants and the arrivals, the scents of products for sale and the
creak of merchants’ carts filled with whatever they sell. The Lipnica square was
not only a marketplace. It also hosted all city celebrations, including trials held
by the public court.
Fairs and markets were an important element of the life of Lipnica and its
inhabitants. Privileges concerning the organization of trade on the square were
granted to the city together with the location charter in 1326. They contributed
to the intense development of trade and craft in the whole region. It should be
noted that medieval fairs often lasted several to over a dozen days, because
people’s mobility was much more restrained than today. In these terms, Lipnica
was a special city because it had the privilege to organize as many as four fairs a
year: two were allowed by the location charter, and further two were added by
King John III Sobieski in 1684.
It is particularly important that the inhabitants of the city also received the right
to launch butcheries, stalls for shoemakers and bakers, as well as to build mills
8
and cultivate fish. Additionally, Lipnica also obtained the favourable staple
right, which obliged merchants travelling through via Lipnica to display their
goods for sale, for which they were properly charged by the city.
The singularity of trade spectacles that took place in Lipnica on trading days
was remembered and passed on in many legends and tales.
The spirit of time made himself comfortable in the Lipnica square; he took a
look at the arcades and the roof tips,
Counted the tenement buildings; he came here to see the famous fair.
When the morning came and the night ghosts vanished, he jostled crouching
shadows, awaking them from their dream,
He accosted people at the stalls that stand here on trading days; he lured the
buyers and enticed them with rewards.
Wandering among the stalls, he turned off the sand glass of time.
There are loafs of white bread, cakes and puppets lying in half-baskets,
Geese, ducks and chickens cowered together,
Diary: eggs, cheeses and butter.
Lard, smoked meats and large rings of sausages.
9
A spectacle, a play, an audience and a theatre,
A price, a fair, a pay, onlookers, a fair again,
It is the art of buying and selling,
A hand clasps a hand, a head nods to their rhythm.
*
Hermes sums up the profits and losses in excitement,
The fair is over, the pubs are full till the morning,
The spirit of time vanished in the fog, the sand glass turned on itself.
Unfortunately, the events of the 18th and 19th centuries related to the gradual loss
of independence by Poland had an adverse effect on the further development of
Lipnica Murowana, which found itself on the outskirts of the Austrian Empire.
The year 1846 was particularly severe for the citizens. The city was repeatedly
flooded and suffered from crop failures, which led to the outburst of an epidemy
that decimated the population. Further devastation was brought on by the I
World War, during which Lipnica became the arena of fierce fights.
The splendour of this mercantile city has been impossible to return after Poland
regained independence and consequently Lipnica lost its town privileges in
1934.
10
Lipnica – a city of palms
It has been almost 60 years that Lipnica revives with a feast of colours of locally
hand-made Easter Palms, which are often taller than St. Szymon’s monument of
the main square. According to a popular verse, with his finger will Szymon point
which of the palms does he anoint, thus indicating the tallest palm and the
winner of the competition. Every year, thousands of guests from all over Poland
come to cheer on the competitors striving to put their Easter palms in a standing
position on the square, and then to honour the winner.
The custom of making Easter palms is one the oldest in Lipnica Murowana. It is
passed down from generation to generation in all local families. The palms are
usually thin enough to fit in a hand. They are traditionally made of wicker sticks
and tied with withe every 20—30 cm, depending on the palm’s height. Their
tops are decorated with multicolour ribbons and pussy willows.
Formerly, a palm’s height reflected the size of a household and the wealth of its
maker. Householders made the palms because their work on Palm Sunday was
supposed to bring them luck and good harvest in the coming year. According to
a local belief, the palms were supposed to protect their makers and their crop
from diseases and plagues. Having no palm was considered a bad omen and an
uncertain fortune for the next year.
In 1958, a poet from Lipnica, Józef Piotrowski, decided to organize the first
Easter Palm competition to revive the disappearing handicraft skills among the
inhabitants of Lipnica. The aim of the competition was to select the tallest palm.
The competition was welcomed by the locals with huge interest and its
popularity increases year by year. It developed from a minor local event to an
all-Poland phenomenon that attracts tourists not only from all over the country,
but ever more often also from abroad.
11
The typical height of the palms is around 25 meters. The tallest palm ever made
was prepared by a multiple winner, Zbigniew Urbański, whose work in 2015
measured 39 meters and 40 cm. It should be noted that a palm entering the
competition needs to be set in a vertical position with human hands, ropes and
supporting sticks only. The use of any lifts or cranes is forbidden. Only the
tallest palms may lean against a tree to which the base of the palm is tied for
security purposes.
12
of people disguised in such a way visited houses and received money and food
for the Shrove party, if unrecognized.
What remained from the old custom is not much, but the citizens of Lipnica
Murowana are persistent in keeping it alive. Each year, a Shrovetide Review of
Roma Groups is held in the Rural Community Centre in Lipnica Górna, during
which various Roma groups present themselves and many competitions and
plays are organized.
St. Szymon’s decision to be a preacher was inspired by St. Jan Kapistran, the
founder of the Bernardine branch of the Franciscan order, whom Szymon met in
Cracow in 1454. Following his example, Szymon undertook preaching, which
required broad erudition, excellent knowledge of the Holy Scripture and
Christian philosophy, as well as charisma that can move the people. St. Szymon
possessed all these qualities. Apparently, “there was no sinner impenitent
enough not to return home with a resolution of improvement” 2. This is why he
advanced from the rank of a common preacher to the cathedral preacher: his
2
R. Gustaw OFM, K. Grudziński OFM, supplements W. Murawiec OFM, Święty Szymon z Lipnicy (1435–
1482), Kraków 2007, s. 41.
13
sermons were attended by kings and courtiers, professors and students, as well
as the whole population of Cracow. Following the example of his master, St. Jan
Kapistran, Szymon often interrupted his sermons exclaiming “Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus”, for which he was accused by the Cracow Chapter of abusing God’s
name; fortunately the accusations were dismissed.
Stop for a while at the monuments of the saints and blessed connected with
Lipnica Murowana: St. Szymon, St. Urszula Ledóchowska and Bl. Teresa
Ledóchowska. Their figures were made by the students of the Fine Arts High
School in Wiśnicz at the beginning of the 21st century. The saints of Lipnica
play a very special role in the local Catholic community: the inhabitants of
Lipnica turn to them with their requests, raise their statues and churches, write
pleading and thanksgiving prayers and songs; they are the foundations of the
local pride and patriotism—all in all, not every town can take pride in a
connection with as many as three persons raised to the altars.
Walk around St. Andrew’s church and stop at the entrance. Meanwhile, listen to
the recording. St. Andrew’s church in Lipnica is over 650 years old. It was
erected by a decree of King Casimir III the Great in 1363. The 14 th century was
a period of intense development for Lipnica Murowana. Therefore, the church of
St. Leonard was not spacious enough to accommodate the needs of the thriving
local community and a bigger, masonry one was built. Despite numerous fires
and damages, the church retained its gothic shape. Its walls made of sandstone
are whitewashed on the outside. You can see it for yourself taking a look at the
outer buttresses, called szkarpy, that support the whole structure. The wall
reaches 210 cm at its widest. The roof was shingled, and is now covered with
tiles. It is finished with a ridge turret and a clock tower with a campanile. During
14
the II World Was, the original bells were taken by the occupants. The local
community founded two small bells just several years after the war was over.
The currently largest one was presented by the President of the Republic of
Poland, Lech Kaczyński, in March 2010 and is named “Maria”. The
contemporary appearance of the church is the result of multiple actions
concerning its reconstruction. It is also a symbol of the constant efforts of
subsequent generations of the citizens of Lipnica, their generosity and hard work
for the local community and its temple.
Enter the vestibule. Take a look at the baptismal font, which currently serves as
a vessel for holy water. It was made in the 14 th century and was part of the
equipment of the old church. This is the font in which St. Szymon was baptised.
Touch the rough stone, observe its decorations and ponder about the stories of
people who joined the Catholic Church in this parish church in Lipnica.
From the vestibule, move to the main part of the temple. Upon entering turn
your head upwards and examine the polychromes painted in the years 1893—
1896 by Aleksander Miklasiński. In the main nave, there are scenes depicting
the Ascension of Christ. Note the lancet shape of the rood beam separating the
nave from the chancel and the shapes of the windows in the chancel: this is what
remained from the previous gothic temple, which burnt. In the rood beam, there
is a cross from the 17th century. Come closer and take a look at the vault in the
chancel. Here you can observe a depiction of the Assumption of Mary, also
referred to as the Mother of Mercy. Now move your sight a bit down to the main
altar. It was made in 1887 in the neo-baroque style. The central painting presents
the martyrdom of St. Andrew. Above the painting, there is a relief of St. Michael
the Archangel. Look to the right and to the left from the altar. You will see the
figures of the following saints: Peter, Paul, Adalbert and Stanisław.
15
Take a few steps to the left and observe the pulpit. This neo-baroque element
and the main altar probably come from the same period. It features the images of
the four Evangelists and the patron of the church. Move a few steps backward.
You now stand in front of an eclectic side altar dedicated to St. Joseph with the
Child. The upper part of the alter houses a painting of St. Szymon of Lipnica.
Move left to the so-called “potters’” chapel. You can now admire a neo-baroque
altar dedicated to Holy Mary, made in 1896. Formerly, a figure of Mary
Immaculate was here, but after the beatification of John Paul II both the chapel
and the altar were dedicated to him, as he was significantly connected to the
Lipnica region and repeatedly visited this temple while still a cardinal, which is
commemorated on a plaque embedded in the outer wall of the church.
Now, go across the nave to the side altar on the right side of the church. It is
dedicated to the Heart of Jesus and features a painting representing Bl. Karolina
Kózkówna. The altar was founded in 1895 by Jan Pisz of Podgórze near
Kraków. Take a few steps to the right.
You can see a wooden baroque altar dedicated to Jesus Crucified, which is the
oldest and most valuable altar in this temple. The precise date of its origin is
undetermined, but we know that it existed in the 18th century.
Walk along the nave toward the exit, turn left at the matroneum and go to the
side chapel separated with a grating. Enter it. You can now see one of the most
precious treasures of sacral art in the Małopolska Region. It is the figure of the
Beautiful Madonna and Child from 1370, a gift from King Casimir III the Great
for the parish in Lipnica. Art historians call it the predecessor of all other
Madonnas3 in the Małopolska Region because it is much older than the majority
of medieval representation of the Mother of God preserved in the region. It is
3
Lipnicka fara: rewitalizacja XIV-wiecznego kościoła parafialnego św. Andrzeja Apostoła w Lipnicy
Murowanej, poprzedzająca jubileusz 650-lecia jego powstania
16
older even than the famous Madonna of Krużlowa kept in the collection of the
National Museum in Cracow. The sculpture is placed in a shuttered recess in the
rococo altar made in 1866. When the shutter is down, one can admire the
likeness of the Holy Family with St. Anne and St. Joachim. Two characters
stand at both sides of Mary: St. Hyacinth and St. Dominic. Since 2011, a Rosary
Procession of Light is held in Lipnica, during which a copy of the figure you are
looking at is carried through the streets. The parishioners pray for their needs
and a recoronation of Mary’s sculpture in Lipnica. On the opposite side of the
altar stands a figure representing the Dormition of Holy Mary, probably one of
the oldest elements in the church’s equipment, dated back to the second half of
the 14th century.
Before you leave the church, you can sit on a bench under the matroneum and
read the text about the Beautiful Madonna of Lipnica.
17
Shorten the time of separation.
If you look above, you will see a pipe organ from 1851 made by Stanisław
Baranowski of Stary Sącz. In 1991, its condition was so bad, that its use was
ceased and it was decided that it is not fit for further repairs. Fortunately, the
opinion of experts changed in 2007 and in the years 2009—2011 the organ was
thoroughly renovated, so today it can play songs to the glory of the Lord and the
local saints again. Now, leave the church.
1. God has chosen you, who come from the land of Lipnica:
You, our countryman, Szymon, Teresa, and Urszula.
To make you the spokespersons in heaven
Of our needs, both in the times of happiness and sorrow.
Now, go to the former building of the parish school attended by St. Szymon of
Lipnica. Since he was a child, Szymon displayed fondness of learning. His
parents wanted him to become a baker like them, but noticing the great talent of
their son they decided to send him for further education in Cracow. In 1454,
Szymon was enrolled to the Department of Liberated Arts at the University of
Kraków, from which he graduated three years later obtaining the title of
Bachelor. He could have become a physician or a theologist, but he chose the
brown habit with a white rope, joining the Order of Bernardines, located near
the Wawel castle, in a quarter of Cracow called Stradom, at the church of St.
Bernard of Siena. After one year of novitiate and theological studies, he was
ordained. He was then sent to Tarnów, where he served as the guardian, that is
the superior of the religious house. Around 1467, he returned to Cracow, where
he remained until his death, apart for a break during which he made a pilgrimage
to Rome and the Holy Land.
The former parish school is currently the Regional House. It keeps a collection
of exhibits that bear a testimony to the past of the region. There are cabinets
19
with important documents and photographs, as well as old agricultural tools and
pieces of household equipment that are no longer used today. In the House, you
can also find memorabilia of the artisans’ fraternities that operated in Lipnica—
the evidence of the intense development of the town, particularly in the middle
ages.
The House is opened upon booking at the Municipal Cultural Centre. If you
wish to visit it, it is recommended to contact the Centre in advance.
According to the chronicles, the oldest and largest craft guild in Lipnica
Murowana was established by shoemakers. The guild of blacksmiths and tailors
also plays an important role in the life of the town. In the 15th and 16th century,
as chronicles have it, there were as many as 26 craft guilds gathering artisans of
different specializations.
/Czesław Anioł/
The affiliation at a guild entailed not only the opportunity to learn a chose
profession, but it also enabled one to join a larger community, which enjoyed
respect among other citizens. The education of an artisan was hard, long and
accompanied by a number of ceremonies. It was crowned with the receipt of the
20
status of a master, which allowed an artisan to launch his own workshop. The
candidate for a master had to prove not only the skills he acquired, making, for
instance, a pare of lady’s shoes, which was generally considered more difficult
than men’s shoes. He was also obliged to meet a number of formal
requirements, that is having the citizenship of Lipnica and a promise of
marriage, should he be yet unmarried.
Unfortunately, over the course of time and the advancement in technologies and
their products, the importance of artisans diminished and handicrafts eventually
died out. It influenced the change of the traditional guild functions, which
assumed a religious character developed particularly vividly in the last period of
their activity. Their important role was to serve the Church, as the guilds
constituted a type of religious fraternities. Each guild was assigned specific tasks
that it was supposed to realise every day. These tasks included taking care of
churches. “The shoemakers’ guild looked after St. Leonard’s church,
blacksmiths maintained the church of St. Urszula, which stood in Lipnica
between the 16th and the 18th centuries, according to the entries in the guild’s
statute from 1683. Additionally, a chapel that stood on the site of the
contemporary shrine in Podlesie, belonged in the years 1596—1730 to the
blacksmiths’ guild. In the parish church, blacksmiths took care of the altar
dedicated to the Heart of Lord Jesus and had its own flag. Other activities
(rituals) pursued within a guild included firing (smoking) the cross on the
crossbeam on the Candlemas day and carrying candles during processions,
adorations etc., as well as funerals of the guild’s members, which is more heard
of”4.
For a long time, craft guilds were also responsible for the town’s defence. Each
guild was assigned to a particular section of town walls. What is more, they
were obliged to gather weapons, maintain fighting condition, and take part in a
4
An outline of the history of the blacksmiths’ guild in Lipnica Murowana:
http://lipnicamurowana.pl/archiwum/cechkowalski.htm
21
battle, should the need be. These duties were treated as one of the most
important privileges because they almost ennobled the craftsmen.
Urszula, or actually Julia Ledóchowska, moved to Lipnica with her parents and
her nine siblings in 1883 from Loosdorf, Austria, when she was 18. Upon her
arrival in her father’s homeland, she helped her parents manage the household,
took care of the sick and poor, assisted in the preparations of boys who wanted
to enter a clerical seminary. Three years passed and she entered the congregation
of the Ursuline sisters in Cracow, where she served for the next 21 years,
gaining recognition as a wise and demanding pedagogue. In the subsequent
years of her service as a nun, she run Catholic orphanages around Europe: first
in Russia, and after the outbreak of the First World War, in Sweden, Denmark
and Norway, mainly providing help for Polish emigrants. She also engaged in
the Relief Committee for War Casualties established in Switzerland by Henryk
Sienkiewicz. When Poland regained independence, she returned to her country
and settled in Pniewy near Poznań. She launched the Congregation of the
Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony, which worked in the
field of education and evangelisation, and helped the poor. The congregation
grew very quickly: new religious houses were established not only in Poland,
but also in Italy and France. Sister Urszula Ledóchowska died in Rome in the
5
Saint Urszula Ledóchowska
22
fame of sanctity on May 29, 1939. She was remembered to be always serene and
helpful, a loyal follower of Jesus, providing help to those most in need. She was
beatified by John Paul II in 1983. 50 years after her departure, in 1989, her
mortal remains were moved from Rome to Pniewy. Lipnica Murowana was
among the parishes via which the relics travelled there. Urszula was canonized
in Rome in 2003.
Now go to the most important monument in Lipnica: the church of St. Leonard.
Before you walk down from the little bridge, notice the stone that lies near the
church’s fence in the centre of the road: a rhombus inscribed in a circle. This
sign is a symbol of the World Heritage Site list kept by UNESCO since 1978.
The first 12 entries of a “particularly common value” included two places in
Poland: the Cracow Old Town and the Wieliczka Salt Mine. In 2003, the
wooden churches in the southern Małopolska Region were also entered on the
list. The church of St. Leonard in Lipnica Murowana is among these six sites.
The justification says that they constitute a unique example of different aspects
of the medieval church construction traditions in the Roman-Catholic culture.
Find the board with the information about the Wooden Architecture Route in the
Małopolska Region to the right from the church. St. Leonard’s church in Lipnica
Murowana is one of the historical monuments included in this largest cultural
route in Poland, which connects over 250 sites. The most important ones are
included in the Open Route of Wooden Architecture, which means that there are
guided tours available on chosen days and times from May to September each
year A festival Music Enchanted by Wood is hosted by various sites of the
Route every Sunday from June to August. The festival concerts take place also
23
in January (Christmas carols) and in November (All Souls’ Day). We
recommend visiting the www.drewniana.malopolska.pl/?l=en website.
Walk around the church and listen to the information about it. The church you
see is a typical example of medieval temples in the Małopolska Region from the
15th century. It is, however, unique because unlike other churches from that
period in our region it is preserved in its original shape. The first church on this
very site was erected in the 12th century. Before that, a pagan temple stood here.
The church was dedicated to St. Leonard, a popular saint in those days, who was
the patron of prisoners, captives, sick and endangered with an assault, as well as
of an easy labour. In the middle ages, around 600 temples erected by
Bernardines were dedicated to him, while the sanctuary of St. Leonard in
Bavaria was the fourth most popular pilgrimage destinations after Jerusalem,
Rome and Santiago de Compostela. Three centuries later, a new wooden church
dedicated to the same patron was raised in the same location and stands here
today. Since the 16th century, the temple served as the cemetery church, which is
evidenced by the graves surrounding it. Its enlargement was not crucial, as it
was not used too often.
24
Enter the church through the south entrance. Notice the characteristic portal: its
shape resembles the back of a donkey. When inside the church, breath in the
characteristic smell of old wood saturated with resin. Let your eyes get
accustomed to the semi-darkness. There are only four small windows in the
church, so only a limited amount of sunlight is provided. On your right side,
there is a baroque painting of St. Nicholas.
Go forward and find a stone plaque embedded in the floor. Under your very feet,
there is the burial place of the mortal remains of Antoni and Józefina
Ledóchowski, the parents of St. Urszula and Bl. Maria Teresa.
Look up. The vault is decorated with particularly refined stencil paintings. This
term refers to the manner of painting: the artists used stencils, that is templates
with floral ornaments, that they put to the wall or the ceiling, and next covered
them with paint. The vault decorations are around 500 years old. Let your eyes
enjoy the abundance of colours and shapes.
Now, go to the side altar dedicated to St. Nicholas. We celebrate his memorial
on December 6. The central part of the altar features St. Nicholas presenting a
dowry to three poor women. Take a closer look at it. In the left upper corner of
the triptych, there is a depiction of St. Margaret and St. Dorothy (with a key),
below, there are likenesses of St. Peter and St. Paul, to the left: St. James and St.
John the Evangelist; in the upper right part: St. Catharine (with a cogwheel) and
St. Barbara (with a tower). When the altar’s wings are closed, we can see the
images of the following characters (enlisted clockwise): Ecce Homo (Christ
presented to the people), St. Hedwig of Silesia, St. Odile of Alsace, and Our
Lady of Sorrows. Unfortunately, in result of a robbery and the later recovery of
all the three altars in 1992, due to security reasons, the original altars are kept in
the Diocesan Museum in Tarnów, and you can only observe their copies. The
original altar of St. Nicholas was made in 1525.
25
Go farther and stand against the windows. The polychrome under the windows
represents the last supper; above are the images of Holy Mary and St. Szymon.
It was the so-called Biblia pauperum: back in the days when literacy was not
common and Masses were celebrated in Latin, the faithful learned the scenes
from the life of Jesus and other saints from this type of paintings.
Stand in front of the main altar. The original kept in the aforementioned museum
was made in 1500. The central part of the triptych features St. Leonard
accompanied by St. Lawrence (to the left) and St. Florian (to the right). The
wings of the altar house paintings presenting the life of the church’s patron saint
(at the top): a liberation of a prisoner, the royal family at prayer, and the
foundation of the monastery in Noblane. In the left bottom corner, we can find
the images of St. Valentine and St. Stephen, while in the right bottom corner: St.
Nicholas and St. Stanisław. In the bottom part, the predella, there is the so-called
Misericordiae Group, that is from the left: St. Martha, St. Lucia, Holy Mary,
Christ with signs of passion and saint Johns: the Evangelist, the Baptist, and the
Merciful. The Archangel Michael is depicted above them with a sword and a
scroll. When the winged altar is closed, we can see (from the right upper corner)
St. Sebastian, Our Lady of Sorrows, Christ and St. Roch. Try to go behind the
altar: on the wall, you will see a polychrome depicting the crucifixion. Find a
massive oak pillar. According to a legend, this is the Światowid pillar, which
was originally kept here in the pagan temple.
Go a bit farther. Take a look at the wall on your left with the depiction of the
Last Judgement. This remarkably colourful “altar” is actually a feretrum, that is
a double-sided relief presenting the Holy Trinity and Mary Immaculate, carried
during church processions.
Walk under the rood beam, take a few steps back and look up. In the rood beam
separating the chancel from the nave, there is the scene of crucifixion with a
26
crucifix and baroque sculptures of Holy Mary and St. John. On your left side,
there is a copy of the oldest altar in the church; the original kept in the
aforementioned museum was made in 1482. Its central painting depicts the
Adoration of the Child Jesus. The characters depicted on the wings are St. Paul
(right upper corner), St. Catharine, St. Barbara, and St. Peter. When the altar is
closed we can observe the scene of the Annunciation.
Turn more to the left. On the wall you are facing now, there is a polychrome
from 1711. Medallions decorated with floral motifs are filled with the scenes of
Christ’s Passion, resembling the Way of the Cross. The pulpit contains portraits
of the four Evangelists.
Turn your back to the main altar. Despite its modest size, the church also
contains a matroneum decorated with depictions of God’s commandments.
Observe them carefully and think what kind of acts committed by the medieval
citizens of Lipnica they condemned. On the left side of the matroneum, there are
baroque paintings of the Virgin and the Child with Saint Anne and the patron
saints of the guilds of shoemakers and weavers: Saints Crispin and Crispinian.
The polychrome on the right side of the matroneum presents the stigmatization
of St. Francis and the images of the patrons of Poland: St. Adalbert and St.
Stanisław.
27
The outer side of the casing has the colour of brown wood. Both longer sides
contain little doors with two panels. The hinges are made of a dark forged
metal. The doors are locked with a key. In the middle part, there is an
openwork. It takes the form of a lattice of diagonally arranged slats of wood.
Upon opening the doors on the one side, there is a wooden keyboard followed
by three rows of metal pipes. The first row contains 45 pipes, the second—36,
and the third—29.
They are arranged by size from right to left. The smallest one on the right is
about 10 cm and the largest one is about 30 cm high. The shorter the pipes, the
thinner they become. The thinnest of them have a diameter of around 1 cm,
while the thickest ones—of ca. 2 cm. The keyboard consists of 45 black and
light keys. The light ones are in the colour of brown wood and are about 10 cm
long. The black ones measure around 6 cm.
Opening the door on the other side reveals three rows of wooden pipes in the
shape of cuboids. They are used to tune the instrument. In the first row, they are
positioned vertically. There is 36 of these pipes in this row. The shortest, of
about 10 cm, are on the left. They gradually become longer until they rich 20
cm. Wooden pegs are stuck in their upper ends. Moving these pegs up and down
enables the tuning of the instrument. In the farther two rows, the pipes are
positioned horizontally. There are 8 pipes in the second row and 7 in the third.
The lid of the casing is divided into two longitudinal parts. They can be lifted on
one side to reveal two bellows. Their fanfold construction is made of wooden
strips joined with leather stripes. When the bellow is up, viewed from the side it
resembles a half-open book. This is why this type of positive organ is sometimes
called a bookcase. Lifting and lowering the bellows causes the flow of air inside
the pipes and thus the production of sound. Hence, when a musician plays the
keyboard, another person lifts and lowers the bellows.
28
The positive organ in St. Leonard’s Church in Lipnica Murowana is one of
seven working instruments of such type in Poland. From time to time, concerts
presenting its timbre take place here. It was played, among others, by a
Japanese pianist Mariko Kato and Professor Elżbieta Stefańska, a great figure
of Polish and global harpsichord music.
Stay in the temple a little bit longer. Let your eyes enjoy the polychrome in the
shades of green, blue, white, and red. Take one more look at the equipment of
the church. Appreciate over 500 years old decorations. Its beauty delighted also
two young students from the School of Fine Arts in Cracow who came here to
spend their vacation in 1889: Józef Mehoffer and Stanisław Wyspiański.
Leaving the church, stop on the river bank. If you think that Uszwica’s current is
calm and harmless—you are wrong. The river overflowed and threatened the
locals and their buildings many times. In 1997, the citizens fought a heroic
battle, striving to save St. Leonard’s church. They managed to do this thanks to
a clever solution: the temple was tied with ropes to a nearby oak. Its 400-year-
old roots resisted the surge of water, but the interior of the church and its
structure were seriously damaged. Its renovation ended in 2000 and today it
shines with its former splendour.
Now go to the manor house of the Ledóchowski family. It was built in the early
19th century by Kazimierz Bzowski. Its style referred to French countryside
palaces. It was designed as a one-storey neo-classical building. In 1883, the
estate was acquired by Count Antoni Halka Ledóchowski, the father of St.
Urszula (Julia) and B. Maria Teresa. Beatification procedures concerning their
two brothers: Włodzimierz (a General in the Society of Jesus) and Ignacy
(a divisional general in the Polish Armed Forces, soldier in the Home Army),
29
are in process. Until the Second World War, the building belonged to the
Ledóchowski family. It was later nationalized and in the 1980s presented to the
Diocesan Curia in Tarnów.
30
was given the alias of the Mother of Africa, although she never visited the
continent. Her memorial is on July 6.
Find a shrine on the bank of Piekarski Potok (which translates into a bakers’
brook). Sit at the Grotto of Our Lady on the brook bank and listen to the swoosh
of water. This was the favourite contemplation place of St. Urszula
Ledóchowska. Listen to her words.
This way you learned about the most important places, people, traditions and
customs practiced in Lipnica Murowana, which determine the uniqueness of this
region not only from the perspective of tourists, but first of all for the citizens.
All these elements interweave and together create the cultural heritage of
Lipnica. It should be remembered though, that heritage does not only include
6
Kilka myśli Urszuli Ledóchowskiej, http://bog-w-moim-balaganie.blog.onet.pl/2010/05/29/kilka-mysli-urszuli-
ledochowskiej/
31
historical monuments and the remembrance of the past. It also consists of the
constant presence of people whose knowledge, practices, actions, and
relationships shape the space for cultivating the heritage and fill the surrounding
objects with a meaning. In these terms, the citizens of Lipnica are special,
because they cultivate the remembrance of their heritage, taking pride in it and
making it the basis for their contemporary lives.
Each community has its heritage, which determines the identity of its members,
shapes bonds between people and their attachment to a place. However, we are
not always aware of these relations. We hope this walk will inspire you to reflect
on you own heritage and encourage you to discover places, objects and people
important for your local community.
32
Literature
33
Najstarszy dom podcieniowy w Lipnicy Murowanej
http://www.powiat.bochnia.pl/atrakcje-turystyczne/najstarszy-dom-
podcieniowy-w-lipnicy-murowanej.html
34