Church of St Michael the Archangel in Brunary

The Church of St Michael the Archangel in Brunary is a former Greek Catholic parish church in Brunary Wyżne, in the Low Beskids near Gorlice. Today it is the Roman Catholic parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 2013 it was inscribed, together with other wooden churches in Poland and Ukraine, on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and it is also on the Małopolska Wooden Architecture Route. The church looks noticeably different from its Lemko neighbours: the building is strongly elongated, and three lavish Baroque domes rise above it, growing taller towards the tower.

The village was founded under German law by King Casimir the Great in 1335 and re-founded under Wallachian law in 1547. In 1641 the bishop of Kraków confirmed the priest of the local church and attached the churches of neighbouring villages to the parish; registers were kept here from 1711. The present church was built in the 18th century on the site of an older one and took on its current appearance during a major rebuilding in 1830–1831. A Cyrillic inscription above the royal doors, mentioning Emperor Francis I and Pope Pius VIII, recalls that work. The old sanctuary was then joined to the nave and a new, longer one was added to the east. The church served Greek Catholics until 1947, when the local people were deported during Operation Vistula; in 1951 it was taken over by the Roman Catholic parish.

What to see

• The iconostasis of the first half of the 18th century — one of the finest painted iconostases of that time in the western part of the Przemyśl eparchy, with carved columns entwined with vines. A curious detail: the icon inscriptions are in Church Slavonic, but in the Prophets row the quotations are written in Latin. The lowest row shows the Hodegetria, Christ Pantocrator, St Nicholas and the church's patron icon of St Michael, and the deacon's doors bear the Old Testament priests Melchizedek and Aaron.
• The wall paintings of the late 18th century in the nave, extended after 1830 to the sanctuary and ceilings and renewed in 1898. Illusionistic pilasters, lozenges with bouquets of flowers and cherubs create a festive interior, and on the blue, star-strewn sanctuary ceiling are the Eye of Providence, the sun and the moon.
• The choir gallery on two massive columns carved with vines, 18th-century side altars with icons of the Mother of God and the Transfiguration, and many icons, liturgical vessels and furnishings.
• The stone wall with two vaulted gates under shingle roofs, and the grave of Father Antoni Pohorecki, parish priest in 1932–1940.

Practical information

Address: Brunary 45, 38-315 Brunary (Uście Gorlickie commune). The church stands in the village, so it is easiest to reach by car from Gorlice or Krynica-Zdrój; it suits families and those who do not hike. No official visiting hours or prices are published: the exterior can be seen at any time, and for a look inside it is best to contact the parish on +48 18 351 67 76, the number given by the Małopolska tourism portal. Visits are not possible during services; please be respectful. Information as of October 2026.

Nearby

Several more UNESCO churches are close by: in Kwiatoń, in Owczary and in Powroźnik, plus the wooden church in Sękowa. To the south-west lies the spa town of Krynica-Zdrój.

Official website: visitmalopolska.pl

Photos: Grażyna Adamczyk, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Piter329c, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Henryk Bielamowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; MOs810, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; mik Krakow, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.