Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Chotowa

The history of the church and the Chotów parish, which was actually established in 1942, is connected with the so-called Ptasia Górka, on which Stanisław Rey erected a commemorative cross in 1846. This cross was to commemorate the cruel death that befell the administrator of the Przyborów farm - Żętowski - during the robbery of this place. Soon, a wooden chapel was built in place of the cross, painted blue inside. It was too small, as it could only accommodate about 50 people.Since the chapel did not accommodate all the participants of the services, the people of Chotów asked Count M. Rey for help in building a larger one. Rey did not hesitate to agree to burn bricks in his brickyard. For this purpose, he donated wood and delegated a man prepared for this task. Despite the obstacles and hardships, the chapel was built quickly. It was already much larger - it could accommodate about 100 people. It survived until 1983.The pride of the Chotów Parish is the new church, the design of which was prepared by Stanisław Kabalec. Excavations for the foundations began on April 21, 1983. According to the initial plans, the new church was to be added to the existing chapel. A closer and more detailed inspection showed a complete lack of foundations under the church standing on Ptasia Górka. This was the reason for dismantling the walls, and due to the respect for this sanctuary, it was decided to reconstruct the dismantled building in the same place and from the same bricks, which currently constitutes the vestibule of the existing church. The cornerstone of the new church was a small boulder, a shell, taken from the basilica of the Jasna Góra Sanctuary. It was laid on May 27, 1984 by Bishop Piotr Bednarczyk. A year later, on September 15, 1985, the construction of the church was completed with a consecration by the Ordinary of the Tarnów Diocese - Bishop Jerzy Ablewicz.