St Paraskevi's Church in Kwiatoń

The Church of St Paraskevi in Kwiatoń is a former Lemko Greek Catholic church in the valley of the Zdynia stream in the Low Beskids. It is regarded as one of the best-preserved and most harmonious examples of Lemko sacred architecture in Poland: Polish researchers call it a model example of the so-called north-western Lemko type. In 2013 the church was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the "Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine", and in 2025 readers of National Geographic Traveler voted it the winner of the "Wonders of Poland" poll.

The church was built in the second half of the 17th century; by tradition 1700 is given as the date. The year 1743 was found on one of the tower beams — the tower may only have been repaired then, but it is the oldest securely dated tower of a Lemko church. In 1933 most villagers converted to Orthodoxy, and the church stood empty for a long time. After the Second World War and the deportation of the Lemkos in Operation Vistula in 1947, it was given to Roman Catholics. Today it is a filial church of the parish in Uście Gorlickie. It has been repaired many times — in 1811, 1904, 1967 and in the 1990s; in 2011 the shingle covering was cleaned.

What to see

• The classic silhouette: a three-part log building (sanctuary, nave, narthex) rising step by step from the sanctuary to a slender tower with sloping walls. Each part has its own broken tent roof with cupolas and false lanterns, and the crosses on top each have a different shape. Walls and roofs are covered with shingles.
• The tower — according to the Małopolska tourism portal, the tallest of its type in the Lemko region.
• The interior with painting imitating marble columns and cornices, angels and the Transfiguration on the nave vault and the Protection of the Mother of God on the narthex ceiling. The iconostasis of 1904 is by Michał Bogdański; beside it are images of St Olga and St Volodymyr, and the nave has two side altars with icons of the Virgin and Child and the Deposition from the Cross. A choir gallery with a carved arcaded balustrade, processional banners, a 19th-century cross and a stone holy-water stoup of 1750 complete the picture.
• The log fence on a circular plan with two wooden gates under shingle roofs with onion domes.

Practical information

Address: 38-315 Kwiatoń, Uście Gorlickie commune. Kwiatoń lies on the road between Uście Gorlickie and Wysowa-Zdrój; the church stands a few dozen metres from the main road, so it is easy to visit by car, with children or for those who do not hike. Visiting hours published on VisitMałopolska: Monday and Tuesday by phone only, +48 18 351 61 87 or +48 660 105 342; Wednesday 9:00–17:00, Thursday to Saturday 9:00–18:00 (break 13:00–13:30); Sunday 12:00–17:00. From 1 October to 7 November the church closes at 17:00 because of services. A local guide can be arranged on the same numbers. According to National Geographic Traveler, visiting is free. Parish phone: +48 18 353 07 20. Information as of October 2026.

Nearby

A few kilometres away are other UNESCO churches of the Gorlice area: in Owczary and in Brunary, as well as the wooden church in Sękowa. To the south-west are the church in Powroźnik and the spa town of Krynica-Zdrój.

At a glance

• Address: 38-315 Kwiatoń (gmina Uście Gorlickie)
• Opening hours: Mon–Tue by phone only (+48 18 351 61 87, +48 660 105 342); Wed 9:00–17:00; Thu–Sat 9:00–18:00 (break 13:00–13:30); Sun 12:00–17:00; 1 Oct – 7 Nov until 17:00 (per VisitMałopolska, as of October 2026)
• Season: All year
• Prices: Free entry (according to National Geographic Traveler, 2025)
• Phone: +48 18 353 07 20, +48 18 351 61 87, +48 660 105 342

Official website: parafiauscie.pl

Photos: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Henryk Bielamowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Piter329c, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Chris Olszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.