Polski
If your hiking trails have not led you to the Chotel Czerwony yet, you must catch up. Here you will feel the atmosphere of a real Ponidzie - full of peace and souvenirs of great history.
One of them is the picturesque church of st. Bartholomew. It has been standing on a gypsum hill since the 15th century. It was funded by Jan Długosz himself - canon, custodian of Wiślica, teacher of the royal sons and the most famous Polish chronicler. The church, covered with red tiles, has a simple but effective architectural form. Adjacent to the square nave is a chancel with a sacristy added later, and two porches: a gothic one from the south, and a neo-gothic one from the west.
As long as the church is open and there is no service going on there, go ahead and go inside. Already in the porch you will feel the atmosphere of old times. The real treasure of the Chotel temple is a medieval crucifix from 1400. The church is built on typical Ponidzia gypsum. On the walls of the church hill, you will see several-meter-high crystals made of this mineral. Some of them form extremely effective symmetrical patterns called dovetails.
While in Chotel, be sure to check out the pastor's kitchen behind the barred entrance. This is what the locals call an approximately 20-meter tunnel carved inside the church hill.
