Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska

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The Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska: A Unique Testament to Medieval Church-Building Traditions

The Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, stand as remarkable testaments to the diverse aspects of medieval church-building traditions within Roman Catholic culture. These architectural marvels, built using the horizontal log technique, offer a captivating contrast to the stone structures that dominated urban centers during the same period.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The wooden churches of southern Little Poland represent outstanding examples of the different aspects of medieval church-building traditions in Roman Catholic culture. Built using the horizontal log technique, common in eastern and northern Europe since the Middle Ages, these churches were sponsored by noble families and became status symbols. They offered an alternative to the stone structures erected in urban centres.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (iii): The wooden churches of Little Poland bear important testimony to medieval church building traditions, as these related to the liturgical and cult functions of the Roman Catholic Church in a relatively closed region in central Europe.

Criterion (iv): The churches are the most representative examples of surviving Gothic churches built in horizontal log technique, particularly impressive in their artistic and technical execution, and sponsored by noble families and rulers as symbols of social and political prestige.

Encyclopedia Record: Wooden churches of Southern Lesser Poland

The wooden churches of southern Lesser Poland of the UNESCO inscription are located in Binarowa, Blizne, Dębno, Haczów, Lipnica Murowana, and Sękowa.

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