PODBIELE - Prophet Elijah Orthodox Church
The first mention of the Eastern Orthodox rite in this place dates back to the 16th century, when, according to the historical records, a tragic fire occurred and destroyed the previous church. The next church built in this place was given the same name as the previous one: The Transfiguration of Jesus. It was situated around 150 metres from the current church, but, unfortunately, it burned down in 1924 and its ruins were further destroyed in 1940. Until this day only the tomb has been preserved.
Orthodox Church
IN PODBIELE
The first mention of the Eastern Orthodox rite in this place dates back to the 16th century, when, according to the historical records, a tragic fire occurred and destroyed the previous church. The next church built in this place was given the same name as the previous one: The Transfiguration of Jesus. It was situated around 150 metres from the current church, but, unfortunately, it burned down in 1924 and its ruins were further destroyed in 1940. Until this day only the tomb has been preserved.
The construction of the Prophet Elijah Orthodox Church began in the second half of the 19th century. The first funds for its construction came from the faithful. The money came from the rent which was paid back to them once serfdom was abolished. According to the sources “Father Kaczanowski intervened and the amount owed to the peasants was collected in 1874. With the consent of the village assembly, it was entirely allocated for the construction of an Eastern Orthodox church.” Back then the owner of the estate was Lidia Grigoriewna Żołtuchina and her husband, general Aleksander Żołtuchin, the District Marshal of the Grodno Nobility. The family stayed in the estate until 1914, when they decided to leave for Russia. They left behind a beautifully designed estate and an interesting design of the garden. Unfortunately, today we can only read about it in historical records, as consecutive refurbishments adapting the estate to the needs of a farm changed, or even destroyed the whole conception. The remains of the 300-year-old Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration of Jesus contain only the family vault, which is worth seeing.
Therefore the Prophet Elijah blue church is one of the few witnesses of the interesting and often dramatic history of this land. The wooden cross plan structure was expanded in 1912 and has been oriented since the beginning, i.e. facing East. It is from the East that Jesus Christ is supposed to come.
It is worth paying attention to beautiful tin roofs of the building, a multilateral tower topped with a cupola. You can begin your visit on the outside, where you will find historic crosses. Right next to the gate there is a roofed well.
The church was entered in the register of monuments in 1977.
[1]– Bończak-Kucharczyk Ewa, Maroszek Józef, Kucharczyk Krzysztof, Katalog parków i ogrodów zabytkowych województwa białostockiego, Białystok 1988
– Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce. Powiat bielski, Warszawa 2019
– https://bielsk.eu/bielsk-podlaski/27310-z-dziejow-majatku-w-podbielu-tajemniczy-grobowiec-i-cerkiew-proroka-eliasza
PODBIELE - Prophet Elijah Orthodox Church
COFUNDED BY THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND NATIONAL HERITAGE
ORIGINATING FROM CULTURE PROMOTION FUND