St. Valentine’s Sanctuary

The first written mention of St. Valentine’s Church dates back to 1628. In 1966, the church was entered into the register of monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship.

„Walencinek” (as it is called by the inhabitants of Bieruń) is the only wooden church in the Bieruń-Lędziny district with centuries-old traditions of indulgenced feasting. To emphasise the strongly rooted cult of the patron St. Valentine - the temple was elevated to the dignity of an archdiocesan sanctuary in 2015.

In the main altar, there are two paintings of St. Valentine: an older one, dating from 1722, and a younger one, from 1907. The latter was painted by Jan Nyga as an expression of gratitude for the healing of a child from a Prussian family of Bieruń.

On the day of the indulgenced feast of St. Valentine, 14 February, crowds of pilgrims come to Bieruń asking the patron for healing, help in difficult cases and conversion. One of the interesting things about this day is walking around the altar on knees and kissing the relics of the saint.

The church went up in flames twice: in 1971 and in 1972. The first fire was caused by a faulty electrical installation, the second by deliberate arson. Most of the furnishings were saved.

Statue of St. Valentine

St. Valentine has been the patron of Bieruń since 2004. The statue of the saint was erected in 2008. It was designed by an artist from Bieruń, Roman Nyga, and sculpted by Stanisław Hochuł. The construction and architectural design were done by the architect Grażyna Lasek.