Orthodox Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in Komańcza

On the evening of 13 September 2006 one of the most remarkable wooden churches of the Carpathians burnt down in Komańcza, together with its iconostasis of 1832. Only the bell tower survived. The next day the Orthodox Archbishop of Przemyśl, Adam, announced it would be rebuilt, and four years later a church with four onion-domed turrets once again stood on the hill above the road to Dukla – a faithful replica of the building of 1800–1803.

History: from Greek Catholics to Orthodox

The church was built in 1800–1803 as a Greek Catholic parish church (an Eastern-rite church in union with Rome), replacing one that burnt in 1800. A gate-tower belfry was added in 1834 and a sacristy in 1836 – unusually, on the main axis behind the sanctuary. After the war and the deportation of the Lemko people, the local Ruthenian highlanders, the church served the Greek Catholics who remained – families of railway workers and employees of the sawmill in nearby Rzepedź. Greek Catholic services continued here without a break, which was exceptional in post-war Poland. On 10 June 1961 the authorities closed the church, and in 1963 handed it to a revived Orthodox parish.

The church survived renovations, conservation of the iconostasis in 1983–1985, the theft of its most valuable icon in 1991 and a storm in 2001, when a falling tree damaged the roof. The fire of 2006 destroyed it completely. The State Forests donated about 240 m³ of fir timber for the rebuilding – beams 10 m long and at least 50 cm thick, from three local forest districts. The first liturgy was celebrated on 14 October 2008 in the unfinished shell, and on 13–14 October 2010 the church was consecrated by Metropolitan Sawa, head of the Polish Orthodox Church.

What to see

• The church itself – log-built, with domes over the sanctuary, nave and narthex, and four octagonal turrets with onion cupolas and double crosses.
• The bell tower of 1834 – three storeys with sloping walls and a bell of 1882; it is the only original part of the complex.
• A copy of the 1832 iconostasis inside.
• The fieldstone wall around the former churchyard with a few old gravestones.

Interesting facts

The church complex was listed as a monument in 1971; since the fire, the bell tower, churchyard and wall remain protected under the same entry. In the same village, at the convent of the Nazareth Sisters, the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, was interned by the communist authorities from 29 October 1955 to 28 October 1956 – the convent has a memorial room.

Tripto tip

Address: Komańcza 216. From road 892 turn onto road 897 towards Daliowa and Dukla – after about 600 m there is a car park by the church on the right. This is an active Orthodox parish church, so the interior is easiest to see during services or by arrangement with the parish; the grounds can be visited at any time. Allow 20–30 minutes for the church and bell tower. Komańcza is on the Subcarpathian Wooden Architecture Trail, and the nearby village of Turzańsk has a wooden church on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2013.