Church of the Virgin Mary in Staré Hamry

The wooden Church of the Virgin Mary is located on a very popular hiking trail from Gruň to Bílý Kříž, on a mountain ridge with beautiful views of the Slovak side of the Beskydy Mountains. It resembles a building from the Nordic countries rather than a typical Beskydy church.

As early as the middle of the eighteenth century, a statue of the Virgin Mary stood on this spot along the road used by the Formanns from Silesia to Slovakia. Worshippers from Silesian settlements and villages, such as Staré Hamry, Gruň, Řečice and also from the Slovak side of Turzovka, began to visit the statue.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the local parish priest built a small wooden chapel, which was replaced by the present church in 1890. It was built from trees from the surrounding forests and the interior is also wooden, including the carved altar, which was made by a carver from the village of Sedliště. Interestingly, the crosses that are hung near the altar come from the cottages that used to stand on the site that was flooded by the Šance dam. It is probably a plea of people who had to move out to live well in their new homes and also a thank you for living in the middle of the Beskydy Mountains.

Contact

Beskydské informační centrum
Hlavní 1755
739 11 Frýdlant nad Ostravicí

E-mail: info@beskydy-info.cz
Web: http://www.beskydy-info.cz/
Tel.: +420 558 676 909