Sacral architecture route (A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose) Sacral architecture route (A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose)

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose There are many chapels on the ter- ritory of Brzeznica community and there is no possibility to present all of them. This presentation contains only the most unusual, unrepeatable and his- torically valuable ones. Everyone is invited to come and see the examples of sacral architecture of the Malopolska region in Brzeznica community. Polands 17 voivodships or provinces The flashing area shows the Little Poland province Brzeznica is situated in the western part of the province

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose According to Polish people's old belief, the places of cult have un- usual power. These are places where people worship the Lord, thank Him and ask for His blessing. Throughout the ages Holy Mother has been especially worshipped in Poland. She is regarded as the one who takes care of people in their everyday life. Looking back at the history of Poland one can see how often Polish people, in the moments of threat, turned to Her begging for help and pleadings. And She always healed, protected and saved Her people. The Wooden Church Sosnowice The Holy Virgin of Kalwaria Kopytowka

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose The places of cult are churches, chapels as well as crosses and little chapels situated along the country roads, which were built for prayers. The poor put special roofs over Christ's, Holy Mother's and the saints' figures. The Brick Chapel Tluczan St John Nepomucen Tluczan

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Such chapels were founded to thank for God's grace (e.g. for the rescue people's lives from flood). The image of Jesus Christ's crucified body was nailed to majority of roadside wooden crosses. Those were founded by com- munities, families and private persons as a thanksgiving or to commemorate an anniversary. Passers-by were to pray or just to cross themselves. Beggars used to sit next to chapels and crosses. Singing and praying, they begged for an alms. Nowadays, there are many modem crosses along the roads where people died in car accidents. Jesus of Nazareth Brzeznica Saint Mary Paszkowka The White Chapel of the Holy Virgin Brzeznica

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose In our region, there's still popular a custom that people decorate the cha- pels in their neighbourhood. It is an alliance of previous folk worshipping and the Roman Catholic Church's liturgy. Many pre-christian, pagan beliefs and worships were preserved in peasants' tradition. Those were the ones connected with festivals, e.g. celebrating the dead. At the begin- ning of Christianity they gained a new meaning and in such a changed form they continuously persist today. St John Nepomucen Paszkowka

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose On the All Saints' Day and the All Souls' Day (lst and 2nd November) the people living near the chapel tidy its surrounding, decorate it with chry- santhemums which are the symbol of immortality. Sometimes, they light candles. At some chapels with the picture or figure of the Holy Virgin the faithful gather every evening in May (May is regarded as Mary's month) to sing and pray. These meetings are the occasion to lavishly embellish the chapel with fresh spring flowers. Saint Florian Brzeznica The Cross on the Cross-Roads Tluczan Saint Florian Sosnowice The Little Chapel on the Tree Paszkowka

The Holy Virgin With the Infant Jesus Beczyn A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose On the seventh Sunday and Monday after Easter, one of the most impor- tant Catholic holidays is celebrated to commemorate the Descent of the Holy Ghost (it is called "green holidays"). These holidays are the final of acti- vities to assure abundant harvest and good animal-farming. Fields are walked around by people carrying holy pictures and gonfalons, and singing the holy songs. The chapels are decorated again, this time with twigs of birch or lime tree alike the people's houses. Saint Florian Marcyporeba Pieta Tluczan

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose The festival worshipping the Blessed Sacrament, i.e. Corpus Christi, has been celebrated on the second Thurs- day after the Descent of the Holy Ghost - since XV century. The faithful take part in a procession and go to four altars, passing the way which is decorated with twigs and flowers. The altars are usually built by inhabitans of the village near the roadside chapels. At every of them the priest and people say prayers and listen to the fragments of Gospel. On the eighth day after that holiday (octava), little wreaths plaited of flowers and herbs (sedum, worm- wood leaves, thyme, melissa, milfoil) are blessed. Their number should be odd. It is said that they are to protect people and their belongings from thunders, hail and illnesses. The Wooden Church Tluczan The Parish Wooden Church Marcyporeba

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Katarzyna Witek, class IID Jesus of Nazareth, Brzeznica

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Katarzyna Witek, class IID Pieta, Tluczan

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Monika Zmuda, class IIIC The Wooden Church, Tluczan

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Iwona Berdecka, class IID Saint Florian, Marcyporeba

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Iwona Berdecka, class IID The Holy Virgin, Kopytowka

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Marta Cichon, class IIA St John Nepomucen, Paszkowka

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Kamil Karamanski, class IIA St John Nepomucen, Tluczan

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Agnieszka Wedzicha, class IID The Wooden Church, Sosnowice

A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose Map of Brzeznica area 1. THE WOODEN CHURCH, SOSNOWICE10. THE CROSS ON THE CROSS – ROADS, TŁUCZAŃ 2. THE HOLY VIRGIN OF KALWARIA, KOPYTÓWKA11. ST FLORIAN, BRZEŹNICA 3. THE BRICK CHAPEL, TŁUCZAŃ12. THE LITTLE CHAPEL ON THE TREE, PASZKÓWKA 4. ST JOHN NEPOMUCEN, TŁUCZAŃ13. THE HOLY VIRGIN WITH THE INFANT JESUS, BĘCZYN 5. JESUS OF NAZARETH, BRZEŹNICA14. ST FLORIAN, MARCYPORĘBA 6. ST MARY, PASZKÓWKA15. PIETA, TŁUCZAŃ 7. THE WHITE CHAPEL OF THE HOLY VIRGIN, BRZEŹNICA16. THE WOODEN CHURCH, TŁUCZAŃ 8. ST JOHN NEPOMUCEN, PASZKÓWKA17. THE WOODEN PARISH CHURCH, MARCYPORĘBA 9. ST FLORIAN, BRZEŹNICA

The four dimensions in the project: a)pedagogical dimension: learning about history of the region as a task of active citizen, spreading the project among pupils at school, cooperating with the biggest possible number of pupils and teachers. b) social dimension: training the skill of team work (meetings, debates while realising the tasks) and reaching social competence by this training, presenting the project to the local community by the means of institutions such as library... c) political dimension: solving the problems in the project using democratic way (debate on the problem and then voting) d) value dimension: by creative team work and searching key-values in the project, finding the meaning of regional history for an active citizenship through values present in the project.

THE TEACHERS PARTICIPATING IN PREPARING THE CD-ROM 1.AGNIESZKA BŁACH 2.EDYTA KŁECZEK 3.DANUTA TRACZ 4.MAŁGORZATA RĄPEL FROM GIMNAZJUM BRZEŹNICA Brzeznica 53 Malopolska Poland

Sacral architecture route (A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose) Sacral architecture route (A chapel – the beauty we cannot lose)