Kunkowa: St. Luke’s Church and Village History

Kunkowa is a small village near Lake Klimkówka. For planning your trip, the village’s history offers a tangible cultural connection: the wooden St. Luke’s Church, the village cemetery on the hillside, and the biographies of Maksym and Orest Hładyk. These themes offer different perspectives on the place: sacred architecture and art history, cultural life, and historic gravestones. If you choose a destination based on its historical connections, these specific places and people can help you understand Kunkowa.

St. Luke’s Church: Architecture and Interior

The wooden Church of the Apostle Luke is now Orthodox; it was previously Greek Catholic. It was probably built in 1868 or earlier. This dating leaves open the possibility of an earlier construction date and does not specify an exact year. To put it in context, it is worth distinguishing this approximate construction date from the more precisely dated elements of the interior. The walls feature elements of a Baroque iconostasis dating from 1796, as well as icons from the 17th century. Among the icons is one of St. Nicholas, dating from after 1660.

An iconostasis is a partition decorated with icons in front of the altar area; the term helps distinguish the elements mentioned from the individual icons. The church’s ceilings and walls are covered with polychrome decoration created by Jan Jakubowski-Sasów in 1904. Polychromy refers to multicoloured decoration. The dates can be distinguished as follows: the icons are from the 17th century, the elements of the Baroque iconostasis are dated to 1796, and the polychromy to 1904. These dates refer to different components; the church’s construction date is separate and is only approximate.

Biographies and Village History

Maksym Hładyk founded a school in Kunkowa and developed cultural life by establishing a theatre, a choir, and a reading room. Orest Hładyk was associated with Kunkowa, served as village head for 32 years, and worked as a translator and community activist. Their lives represent different aspects of the village’s history: Maksym’s contributions to education and cultural institutions are tangible, while Orest’s story highlights local government, translation, and community involvement. Together, these biographies broaden the picture of Kunkowa beyond architectural history and religious art.

Cemetery and Location

The village cemetery is on the hillside above St. Luke’s Church; its gravestones date from the early 20th century. This distinct location complements the church’s history with another point of reference in time and with burial culture. The precise location and the dated gravestones give you two concrete points of reference for placing the cemetery within the village’s cultural history.

Kunkowa is near Lake Klimkówka. This location adds a sense of place to the historical connections. When choosing a destination, you can weigh whether you are mainly interested in church art and local history, or whether being near a lake better suits your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Kwiatonowice, Bystra, Ropa, Szymbark, Klimkówka, Biecz, Korczyna, Lipinki

For the main travel overview: Gorlice.