An 18th century wooden church burnt to the ground in Łódź, central Poland, in the early hours of Monday morning.

The fire broke out at about 4:00am local time at St.Dorothy's Church, which had been the oldest remaining house of worship in the city, with construction completed in 1766.

However, in spite of a monitoring system that alerted the local fire brigade, it proved impossible to save the building, which belongs to the Roman Catholic Church.

Some 17 crews battled with the flames but to no avail.

It is unclear at present what sparked the fire.

St Dorothy's Church, Łódź, prior to Monday's fire. Photo: wikimedia commons/HuBar

Poland's wooden churches are considered among the country's most distinctive cultural treasures. In 2003, six Roman Catholic churches were placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

In 2013, eight more wooden churches in Poland were added to the UNESCO list, in that case Greek Catholic and Orthodox churches. The 2013 listing was the result of a joint Polish-Ukrainian bid, with eight churches in Ukraine likewise qualifying. (nh/rk)

Source: TVP