Orthodox Christmas is the most suitable time to study Polish churches. And there is something to see, because Polish Orthodox architecture is very diverse - from the masterpieces of wooden architecture to ultramodern projects.
The Autocephalous Polish
Orthodox Church is the second largest believer in Poland. According to various estimates, from 500 to 600 thousand Orthodox live in the country, at the disposal of which are more than 320 churches scattered throughout the country. Many of them are valuable architectural monuments, and the oldest date from the beginning of the 16th century. True, new buildings also deserve attention, if only because architects shift rather strict canons of sacred architecture into the language of modern architecture.
Church of St. Sophia, Wisdom of God in Warsaw
Church of Hagia Sophia, Wisdom of God, photo: Kgbo / commons.wikimedia.org
The church on the southern outskirts of Warsaw, whose construction began in 2015, is the first new church building in a hundred years in the Polish capital. In May 2018, the first service was held in an unfinished building.
Orthodox Church, visualization, Pulawskaya Street in Warsaw, photo: APA Markowski Architekci
The building is more than twenty meters high and has a total area of 1000 square meters. m. designed by the architectural bureau APA Markowski Architekci. The source of inspiration was one of the most recognizable churches in the world - the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople. The Warsaw Church is crowned with a sixteen meter diameter dome covered with copper, and its walls will soon be decorated with murals and mosaics.
Church of the Holy Spirit in Bialystok
Church of the Holy Spirit in Bialystok, photo: Peter Metzik / Forum
The largest church in Poland and one of the largest Orthodox churches in Europe were erected in 1980-1990, and consecrated in 1999. Designed by its famous Bialystok architect Jan Kabac. Five onion domes (maximum height 23 meters) crown one-nave construction. Inside the walls are covered with frescoes, and the impressive iconostasis, the creation of which took ten years, includes 260 icons. Białystok church is built of brick. It was from this material that the architect created an unusual facade that refers to the name of the church: the walls resemble flames that the apostles saw at the time of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Trinity Cathedral in Hajnowka
Holy Trinity Cathedral in Hajnowka, photo: Wojciech Krynsky / Forum
The church, built in 1974-1992, is considered the creation of the architect Alexander Grigorovich, but Jerzy Novoselsky, known for his interest in the Orthodox religion and art, also participated in its design. The church has a rather unusual organic form - it is an irregular building made of concrete structures piercing each other with high arches. Most Polish Orthodox churches are designed in the style of traditional Orthodox architecture, and the Cathedral in Hajnówka proves that such a sacred object can be given a modern look, even if it remains faithful to the canon.
Annunciation Cathedral in Suprasl
In the town of Supraрасльl, located near Bialystok, is one of the four Orthodox monasteries in Poland. On the territory of the Annunciation Monastery stands a church, distinguished by a defensive form. The brick building with the plastered upper part in the plan has the shape of a rectangle. Massive towers stand in the corners, and the laconic forms of the cathedral resemble a small medieval castle. The cathedral was built at the beginning of the 16th century, a few years after Alexander Khodkevich founded a monastery in this place.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Lodz
Fundraising for the construction of the cathedral, erected in 1884, was organized by wealthy Lodz manufacturers. The construction committee included, in particular, Karol Scheibler, Israel Poznansky and Juliusz Kunitzer. They supported the idea of building a cathedral, despite the fact that they were representatives of other faiths. The author of the elegant cathedral, lined with multi-colored stone slabs, was the local architect Hilary Mayevsky. It was believed that the decision to build an Orthodox cathedral demonstrated loyalty to the Russian invader, and yet after Poland gained independence, the cathedral did not share the fate of many Orthodox churches: it was not demolished in many respects due to the participation of honored city residents in its construction.
Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Pukhly
In Podlasie, on the Polish-Belarusian borderland, many ancient churches have survived to this day, the characteristic feature of which is painted facades. One of the most beautiful is the church in the village of Pukhly. The first Orthodox church existed in this village already in the 16th century, and modern wooden construction dates back to the second decade of the 20th century. The richly decorated church is primarily distinguished by the rich blue color that it acquired during the renovation in 2014.
In these parts you can find many similar wooden painted churches. The churches in the villages of Narew, Podbel and Tseshianka are distinguished by their special architecture and bright colors (the latter is painted green).
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is impressive in scope and form, but it lasted only ten years and a little. It was built at the turn of the XIX – XX centuries on one of the main squares of Warsaw - Saxony, and it served not only as a place of worship, but also a symbol of Russian power and dominance. For this reason, in the 1920s, shortly after Poland gained independence, the cathedral was decided to be demolished. The building, known today for photographs and surviving fragments (they can be seen in the dungeons of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Warsaw and in the building of the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute), was strikingly thought out to the last detail and rich decoration. When his fate was decided, many experts defended the cathedral as an outstanding work of architecture. However, in 1924–26 the cathedral was nevertheless demolished, and marble slabs and other fragments were used in the construction of new facilities. For example, for the pedestal of the Warsaw Sirenka monument, for a canopy at the entrance to the royal crypts in the Wawel Castle, as well as in several churches.
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