Baroque Altar of Our Lady of Zakliczyn

A Late-Baroque Masterpiece

Raised in the mid-18th century, the main altar of St. Giles the Abbot fuses late-Baroque grandeur with delicate Rococo flourishes. Four composite columns support a broken entablature, framing a two-story architectural composition crowned with a gilded tabernacle topped by a sculpted pelican, an ancient symbol of self-sacrifice.

The Lady of Zakliczyn

At the heart of the altar rests the revered image of the Mother of God of the Rosary, venerated locally as the Lady of Zakliczyn and originally brought from the chapel of nearby Melsztyn Castle. Above it, a silvered dove representing the Holy Spirit radiates within a glory of clouds and cherub heads.

Guarding the Dunajec Valley

The parish church stands in Zakliczyn, a historic market town on the banks of the Dunajec River in southern Poland. Gilded ornament and silvered sculpture throughout the sanctuary reflect centuries of devotion sustained by the local community.