The exact time of construction of this church is unknown (outside and church bypass). According to some sources, its creation can be associated with the second stipend of the parish in 1448 and according to others, it was probably built in 1482. In the description of the Golovský church prepared by Fr. Jan Lisiński, at the beginning of the 20th century, we read the following note:
According to a very old act written on parchment, placed in the sacristy – the church in Golcowa was built around 1448 under the invocation of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Barbara, and was consecrated by Bishop Wojciech Baranowski on the first Sunday after St. Francis of Assisi in 1589.
The Parish Church in Golcowa is one of the oldest monuments of late Gothic sacred architecture in the Podkarpacie region. It is located on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Podkarpackie province. This is a wooden church in the Gothic style, built of larch timber. During its construction, a rafter clasping system (horizontal log technique) was utilized (utilizing one of the oldest systems of wooden church construction) belonging to the oldest types of wooden churches was used. Although it has been modernized many times, it still retains fragments of the old construction to this day. Particularly noteworthy is the very well preserved orchid roof truss structure.
The roof truss on the church is not homogeneous. Above the sanctuary and nave, the original orchid rafter framing has survived, from the time of the construction of the church from the second half of the fifteenth century, a part added thereby extending the nave, also preserved the orchid rafter framework from the time of expansion from the second half of the nineteenth century. Carpentry joints are pinned.
On the older part of the truss, from the time of church construction, a set of markings have been preserved. Carpentry marks in the form of notches with a chisel with a half-round finish, length 3 – 4 cm and a depth of about 0.5 cm and the amount corresponding to the truss sequence of the sanctuary (from east to west), are always placed on the binding side and usually a short distance from him.
Above the newer part of the carpenters’ truss frame, there are no visible numbers of girders (Arabic numerals 1, 3, 5, 7) on crowns.
Until the second half of the nineteenth century, the church underwent slight transformations, but without a major impact on the shape of the body.
It was not until around 1872 that the wooden arcades surrounding the building on three sides were pulled down – the so-called saturdays; it was covered with boards, the church was raised by one foundation, a turret was built for a signature, and porches were added.
A thorough reconstruction took place in 1885-87, when the nave was extended by 16 cubits (9.60 m) westwards, the roof shingles were replaced with sheet metal, and the interior was divided into three aisles using two rows of wooden poles and decorated with polychrome interior by Jan Tabiński.
In the years 2007 – 2009 another thorough renovation of the church’s body was carried out. Some foundations and beams were replaced, construction damaged roof elements were replaced, a new turret was reconstructed, the entire roof was covered with titanium-zinc sheet metal and the building walls were covered with new shingles. The electrical installation was replaced in the entire church and fire and anti-burglar systems were installed.
In 2014-2018, intensive conservation and renovation works were carried out inside the shrine – polychromes and moving elements of the historic church. As a result of these works, several later repaints of the walls were removed and the paintings were brought back to Tabiński’s polychrome, while the altar and pulpit were recreated using the original colors.
The currently renovated historic church has regained its original splendor and brilliance. It is also a testimony to the culture and art of the past centuries and still serves the function of an active parish church in which devotion is exercised.
The church is currently 28.5 meters long, not counting the vestibule, and its width is 9.7 meters.