Churches & monasteries

Saint Nicholas Church in Kleszczele

A former bell tower, now a chapel

Kleszczele preserves a wooden building connected with the former Church of Saint Nicholas. The surviving filial chapel is not the parish’s main church: it is the bell tower that outlasted the old complex and now serves as the Chapel of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. It stands on 1 Maja Street in the town centre and recalls Kleszczele’s Orthodox past.

History

The parish of Saint Nicholas existed in Kleszczele as early as the 16th century. The bell tower was built in the early 18th century and is traditionally dated to 1709. The main church was destroyed and looted during the 1915 wartime evacuation, while the bell tower survived. It has a wooden structure with a log-built lower level, post-and-beam upper level and shingled tent roof.

Nearby sights

Kleszczele is a useful stop on a route through Podlasie’s wooden sacred architecture. The wooden cemetery Church of Saint George stands on Kościelna Street. The town also has the larger 19th-century Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Seeing the three sites together helps explain the changing role of Kleszczele’s Orthodox centre.

Practical information

Parish address: 2 1 Maja Street, 17-250 Kleszczele. The bell-tower chapel has no confirmed fixed tourist timetable. The heritage register states that it is accessible to visitors, but interior access should be arranged with the parish. Check services and possible opening before travelling; remain quiet and ask before taking photographs.