Church of St Anthony of Padua and Blessed Stefan Wyszyński in Kobylanka

The Church of St Anthony of Padua and Blessed Stefan Wyszyński in Kobylanka is a parish church in the Kołbacz deanery and, since 2021, a shrine of the Blessed Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, Primate of the Millennium. The present building was erected in 1936 after the fire of the earlier church.

Three churches on one site

The first mentions of a church in Kobylanka date from the mid-14th century, but no information on its appearance has survived. The second church was built at the end of the 16th century in half-timbered construction. It had the shape of a Greek cross, a tower about 40 m high, and could hold 500 to 600 worshippers. It burned down on 24 May 1934, and only the altar canopy and the metal cross from the tower survived.

The church of 1936

The new, brick-built church was put into use in 1936. It has a rectangular plan and a square, boarded wooden tower on the west side, topped with a neo-baroque sheet-metal helmet. In 1945 it served as a cowshed for Soviet troops, who destroyed part of the roof, the altar and the organ. The new residents repaired the roof and set up a makeshift altar with an image of the patron, St Anthony of Padua. It was blessed on 1 October 1945.

Parish and shrine

The parish was established on 1 June 1951 by Primate Stefan Wyszyński, who visited Kobylanka in 1957. The interior is decorated with wooden sculptures by Czesław Wierzbicki, a folk artist living in Kobylanka. The consecration of the church and the establishment of the shrine took place on 18 September 2021, six days after the beatification of the Primate.

Practical information

• Village: Kobylanka, Stargard County.
• Service times and the rules for visiting the shrine are given by the parish.