Church of St. Michael the Archangel

The Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Binarowa is a wooden church which the most valuable treasures are polychromies from different times covering its entire interior. They make a unique group of wall paintings thanks to which the building was entered in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2003.

The church was built in around 1500. In the beginning, it did not consist of a tower. The post and beam tower, which is the oldest example of a wooden church tower in Lesser Poland, was added over the porch in 1596. In the 17th century, the Chapel of Saint Archangels and the small ridge turret covered with a Baroque tented roof were also built.

The wooden church in Binarowa consists of the wide nave and the narrower presbytery covered with a gabled roof. The tower with an izbica is adjoined to the nave from the west. Real treasures can be found in the interior. There are colorful polychromies of which the oldest ones can be admired on the ceiling. They are geometrical, floral patterns arranged in strips. The presbytery consists of scenes of Passion while walls on the naves present depictions of prayers, death, and the Last Judgment. Apart from polychromies, there are also Baroque altars and the equipment.