St Michael the Archangel Church in Bystre

Three metal-clad domes with false lanterns rise above a Bieszczady meadow, well away from the main roads. The church of St Michael the Archangel in Bystre, in the Czarna district of the Bieszczady Mountains, was built in 1901–1902 and fell empty as early as 1951, when the area passed from the USSR to Poland in a border exchange. Saved by local volunteers, it is now one of the most photogenic stops on the Wooden Architecture Route in the Bieszczady.

History

A church in Bystre is first recorded in 1607, and another was built in 1681. The present one follows the concept of the Lviv architect Vasyl Nahirny, who also designed similar churches in Lutowiska and Lipie. It was a branch church of the parish in Michniowiec. After 1951 the building stood abandoned, and despite efforts by local Roman Catholics it was never returned to worship. Its furnishings were partly removed and partly stolen; in 1962 parts of the iconostasis (the icon screen), 18th-century icons and liturgical objects were taken to the icon depository in Łańcut. In the early 1990s there were even plans to move the church to Sanok – it stayed put thanks to the Bieszczady branch of the Society for the Protection of Monuments, which has cared for it since 1985.

What to see

• The building – tripartite, east-facing, of log construction on a stone foundation, a classic example of Ukrainian historicism. The sanctuary, nave and narthex are crowned with domes on tall octagonal drums.
• The interior – now home to a display of crosses and liturgical objects from Bieszczady cemeteries and churches. All that remains of the original furnishings is the iconostasis frame, the altar base and the tabernacle.
• A gravestone laid as a step in front of the main entrance – probably from the earlier church.
• The brick screen-type bell tower from 1939.
• The Boyko cemetery from the 19th century, about 100 m from the church across the road, with thirteen surviving gravestones, mostly with cast-iron crosses. (The Boykos were a Ruthenian highland group who lived in this part of the Carpathians.)

Interesting facts

During the Second World War the largest bell was hidden under the floor of the sanctuary. The other bells were taken away in the 1950s, and the hidden one was only found in 1993 – it is now in Michniowiec. The church was added to the heritage register in 1970, and in the following decades it was repaired in stages, helped by public fundraising and a 2013 charity concert called "Let's save the church in Bystre".

Tripto tip

Getting there: from Czarna Górna take road 896 towards Lutowiska, turn left towards Bystre and Michniowiec, then after about 6 km turn left again – the church is roughly 1.5 km further on. You can see the exterior freely; to visit the interior, ask the custodians in advance or check the Wooden Architecture Route information. Allow 30–45 minutes for the church and cemetery. The best photos are taken from the meadow on the valley side, especially in autumn.