Chapel of Divine Mercy in Janiszów

The Chapel of Divine Mercy in Janiszów is a small filial church of the Parish of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Kamienna Góra, built by the villagers themselves.

Before the chapel existed

Until the early 1990s, the residents of Janiszów had to travel to Sunday Mass at the church in Kamienna Góra, 4.5 kilometres away, which could be difficult in winter. Earlier, services were held occasionally at a roadside cross, and later in the local community hall, a building that had previously served as a dance hall. Due to a shortage of priests, Mass was held there only every other Sunday.

Built with donations from residents

In the early 1990s, the village decided to build its own church. The plot for construction, on which a wooden-and-brick barn had stood before burning down in the late 1980s, was donated by Helena and Andrzej Ligęza. The chapel was built almost entirely from residents' donations: the cross on top was made at the Dofama workshop in Kamienna Góra, the bell was funded by the local German community, and some of the pews were moved from the former catechism hall in the village. The first Mass was celebrated at the turn of 1995 and 1996, and construction was completed in 2000. The solemn consecration was performed on 17 April 2006 by Bishop Stefan Cichy.

Architecture

The building represents the sacred modernism of the 1990s: it has an asymmetrical, geometric form built on a quadrilateral plan, made of brick, and covered with a multi-pitched roof of varying slopes. The elevations are plain, without architectural detail, with exposed gable walls. The interior is lit by large glazed areas made of glass blocks, giving diffused light. The single-nave interior has a flat ceiling, and above the tabernacle in the chancel hangs a painting of the Merciful Jesus, the church's patron - hence the dedication, which refers to the devotion that developed after the beatification of Faustina Kowalska in 1993, during the chapel's construction.

Practical information

• Address: Janiszów, Kamienna Góra municipality, Kamienna Góra County
• The chapel functions as a filial church of the Parish of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Kamienna Góra - it is worth checking Mass times with the parish before visiting
• What to expect: a small, modern village chapel with no historic furnishings