St. Michael Archangel's Church

Smolnik, Poland

St. Michael Archangel's Church in Smolnik was built the eighteenth-century, which together with different tserkvas is designated as part of the UNESCO Wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian region in Poland and Ukraine.

The first reference to the existence of an Eastern Orthodox Church tserkva in Smolnik comes from a register in 1589 of the Sanok Land. It is presumed that the wooden tserkva was built at the start of the village, in 1530. The tserkva was most likely destroyed by fire or flooding. The second Eastern Orthodox Church tserkva in the village was raised in 1602, with the parish priest being Jan Hryniewiecki. The tserkva burnt down in October 1672, most likely due to Tatar invasions. After 1672, another tserkva was raised in a different location to increase its defence from invasions. Since 1697, the Uniate treaty was enforced into the Smolnik parish. The fourth tserkva to be built in the village was completed in August 1, 1791.

The first major restoration of the tserkva was carried out in 1921, largely financed by the parish. The roof wood shingle was replaced with tin and the iconostasis renovated. The tserkva's affiliation was to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church until 1951 (when as part of the 1951 Polish–Soviet territorial exchange, Smolnik was returned to Poland and the populace of the area moved to the Soviet Union. Parts of the tserkva's interior was moved to Łańcut. In 1974, the tserkva was transferred to the Roman Catholic parish. The tserkva had undergone a major renovation between 2004 and 2005.

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Address

Unnamed Road, Smolnik, Poland
See all sites in Smolnik

Details

Founded: 1791
Category: Religious sites in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Kris 13 (14 days ago)
Bardzo ciekawa budowla, wjeżdża się na górkę i mamy wrażenie, ze czas się zatrzymał. Byliśmy tam sami i na spokojnie mogliśmy się pochylić nad tym zabytkiem. Warto zjechać z drogi i zobaczyć
Peter Junior (46 days ago)
Nice kept church. Chandeliers made of antlers make an impression. Worth a look.
Marcin Bardjan (46 days ago)
I fell in love with the Orthodox Church in Smolnik at first sight. The first time I was greeted by a cat who felt like a guide of this place. As it turned out, his Lord, very nice, friendly and with a lot of knowledge about this place, Mr. Adam told me in detail about the history of the church. He also talked about her, feeling like he was part of her. Beautiful wooden architecture, and the church itself on a hill from which we can admire beautiful views. The smell of the interior of the church is unique, I can feel it whenever I want to return there with my thoughts. It's a place you want to keep coming back to. After my first visit, there were more. Holy Mass in the church is a great spiritual experience. Many thanks to the Pastor who cares for this place in a great way !!! I will keep coming back here!
marek szymczakowski (55 days ago)
It's really worth seeing with your own eyes.
Khamyl Derak (3 months ago)
Impressive wooden building. You can literally touch the history here. Wonderful views around.
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