Church of the Archangel Michael ( Polish: Cerkiew św. Michała Archanioła ) is a wooden Catholic (formerly Greek-Catholic ) church in the village of Smolnik in Bieszczady County , Poland's Subcarpathian Voivodeship . In 2013, the church was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with other wooden churches of the Carpathian region of Ukraine and Poland . [1] [2]
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Description
The first known mention of the existence of the church in Smolnik dates back to 1589. It is believed that a wooden temple could be built from the moment the village was formed, that is, in the 1530s. The first wooden church burned down, and in 1602 a new one was built, which was also destroyed by fire in 1672. Soon another wooden church was built, but in a new place. The fourth temple in the Boyk style, which has survived to this day, was lit on August 1, 1791. All church utensils were transferred to him from the previous temple. The temple is tridilny, consisting of a nave, an altar and a Babinets. All parts of the church are crowned with domes with crosses on top of the tent roof.
The first major reconstruction of the church was carried out in 1921 with significant financial support from the local population. The roof was closed and the iconostasis restored. Until 1951, the temple belonged to the Greek Catholics. During the Soviet-Polish exchange of land plots, the village was transferred to Poland , and the local population of the boyki was deported to the Ukrainian SSR , the church was abandoned and used as a warehouse. The ancient iconostasis was destroyed, and the only element of the original appearance of the church are fragments of wall frescoes. The ancient church icons of the Assumption of the Mother of God and Mother of God Hodegetria are currently in the Museum of Ukrainian Art in Lviv , and the icon of the apostles with Deesis is kept in the museum in Lancut .
In 1969, the temple was included in the register of national monuments of Poland. In 1974, the temple was transferred to the Roman Catholic community, which converted it according to its traditions. The interior of the church has lost its historical appearance, testifying to the liturgical traditions and culture of the local population. In 2004-2005, the building was renovated. The ancient cemetery near the church has preserved to this day only a few tombstones.
Notes
Literature
- G. i Z. Malinowscy, E. i P. Marciniszyn, Ikony i cerkwie. Tajemnice łemkowskich świątyń , Carta Blanca, Warszawa 2009, ISBN 978-83-61444-15-2
- Kryciński S., “Cerkwie w Bieszczadach”, Warszawa 1995,
- Słownik Historyczno-Krajoznawczy Bieszczady - Gmina Lutowiska, Ustrzyki G. - Warszawa 1995,
- Michniewscy M. i A., Duda M., “Cerkwie drewniane Karpat (Polska i Słowacja)”, wyd. Rewasz, Pruszków 2003,
- Ukraińskie cerkwie drewniane, geneza i rozwój form, Lwów 1937.