Basilica of the Nativity of Mary and St Nicholas in Bielsk Podlaski

The oldest painting in the Bielsk basilica is a century and a half older than the church itself: a Crucifixion of 1622, painted as a memorial to Hanna Kadłubowska, wife of the local scribe Stanisław Kulesza. The Church of the Nativity of Mary and St Nicholas was built in 1783–1784 thanks to Izabela Branicka, sister of King Stanisław August, to a design attributed to Szymon Bogumił Zug. It is one of the finest Neoclassical churches in the Podlasie region and the resting place of a beatified wartime martyr.

History: from wooden parish church to basilica

The parish dates back to the 15th century. The wooden churches that stood by the old Poświątne quarter burned down several times, and the last was rebuilt in 1674. In the second half of the 18th century it was decided to replace it with a brick church. Construction was funded mainly by Izabela Branicka, who as governor (starosta) of Bielsk generously supported the town's development. The church was consecrated on 9 October 1796 by Bishop Jan Szyjkowski, then provost of Bielsk.

In 1996 the church was granted the title of minor basilica and added to the heritage register. In recent years the parish renovated the interior, restoring the dark and worn columns of the nave.

What to see

• The portico façade, simple and elegant, typical of Neoclassicism.
• An interior with 20 Doric columns and a vault decorated with medallions of saints.
• The Visitation on the high altar, by Sylwester Augustyn Mirys, court painter to the Branicki family.
• The Crucifixion of 1622 in the nave, restored in 1995.
• The 1902 organ with 14 stops.
• The churchyard with a brick bell tower from the 1840s and a stone holy-water stoup dated to the 15th–16th century.

Tomb of Blessed Antoni Beszta-Borowski

Fr Antoni Beszta-Borowski was dean of Bielsk. On 15 July 1943 the Germans shot him together with a group of local residents. Pope John Paul II beatified him on 13 June 1999 as one of 108 martyrs of the Second World War. In 2000 his remains were moved from the parish cemetery to the basilica, and the parish keeps a book of petitions and thanksgivings for his intercession.

Tripto tip

The basilica is a working parish church and admission is free. According to the parish website (as of October 2026) Mass is held on Sundays and holidays at 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 12:00 and 18:00, and on weekdays at 7:00 and 18:00 (summer holidays included); on minor holy days at 7:00, 8:30, 10:00 and 18:00. The parish feasts fall on 8 September (Nativity of Mary) and 6 December (St Nicholas). The basilica stands at ul. Kościelna 4A; parish office phone +48 85 730 37 10. You are most likely to find it open just before or after a service; allow 20–30 minutes for the interior and churchyard. Bielsk Podlaski lies about 50 km south of Białystok, and the centre is easy to explore on foot. About 400 m away stands the blue wooden Orthodox church of St Michael the Archangel, on Town Hall Square the late Baroque town hall with a museum, and nearby the Carmelite church and the Orthodox church of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Bielsk is one of the few towns where you can walk from a Catholic to an Orthodox church in a quarter of an hour.