Wooden Church of St. Transfiguration

The life of Białogon, today a district of Kielce, and formerly an independent settlement, has been dictated by the development of industrial plants located here since the 16th century. This is clearly visible today in the layout of the streets, the operating Kielecka Fabryka Pomp and the wooden church with quite unusual architecture for the Świętokrzyskie region.

Unusual, because a small temple with its high, "truly highlander" roof brings to mind more the Tatra Mountains than the Świętokrzyskie Mountains.

The style in which the church was built should be associated with the date of its foundation. Although the first copper smelter operated here throughout the 17th century, and from 1817 Aleksander's smelter (later changed into a machine factory) operated at full steam, the faithful living here had to wait until 1918 for the construction of a parish church.

The architect, Mateusz Galas, acting on behalf of the factory, decided that the new church would be styled in the Zakopane style - very fashionable at the time (mainly due to the fascination with the highlanders) and, above all, considered truly Polish.

The building was made of wood, and the roof was covered with shingles - which guaranteed quick construction and relatively cheap implementation - it should be remembered that the church was built with the parishioners' own funds.

The small church consists of a central nave and a presbytery located on the northern side. You will enter the nave through a porch covered with a characteristic tower. The porch is surrounded by the so-called Saturdays - arcades characteristic of the Zakopane style, under which the faithful coming from afar could hide from the rain while waiting for the service.

On the west side of the nave you will find the Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. On the eastern side - the sacristy.

The interior of the church is kept in a rather simple style. Raw wood dominates here. Although for several years the faithful of the parish in Bialystok have been able to use the new, spacious church, the climatic wooden building has been reopened since 2021 and put to use by the faithful and tourists.