St Nicholas Church in Rzepedź

In the valley of the Rzepedka stream, a tributary of the Osława, stands the wooden Greek Catholic Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from 1824 – a typical Eastern Lemko church with three onion domes and a free-standing bell tower. It survived Operation Vistula only because it was turned into a funeral chapel, and today it once again serves both Greek Catholics and Latin-rite Catholics. It is on the Podkarpackie Wooden Architecture Route.

History: from 1526 to the return of the faithful

Rzepedź was founded as a royal village in 1526, and the first church is mentioned in the same year. The present one was built in 1824 on the site of an earlier church and consecrated two years later. In 1869 an iconostasis was added, and in 1896 the church was remodelled.

After Operation Vistula the Ukrainian inhabitants were deported, and soldiers looted the interior and took all the bells. The Latin parish in Komańcza took over the church and used it as a funeral chapel, which saved the building from ruin. In 1970–1973 it was repaired by the Greek Catholics themselves – those who had stayed or returned – despite harassment by the secret police. In 1976 the bishop of Przemyśl allowed the church to be opened on major feast days, and since 1987 it has been permanently open.

What to see

• The church itself – a three-part log structure on a rubble-stone base, with a sacristy by the sanctuary.
• The 1896 wall paintings by Josyp Bukowczyk, whose conservation has received public heritage funding.
• The four-tier iconostasis (some icons were stolen), three side altars and the original painted decoration of the choir.
• The two-storey bell tower from 1824, standing on its own beside the church.
• The churchyard with old gravestones.

Did you know?

The churchyard holds the grave of Stanisław Niezabitowski, an officer of the Polish army who bought Rzepedź after the failed November Uprising and settled here for the rest of his life; he died in 1876, and his gravestone survives. After the war Rzepedź became home to the Bieszczady Wood Industry Works, and the narrow-gauge forest railway was extended for them.

Tripto tips

The church belongs to the Greek Catholic parish of St Nicholas in Rzepedź; the Divine Liturgy is celebrated on Sundays and feast days at 9:45. Outside services the church is often locked, so the best way to see the interior is to come for the Liturgy or contact the parish in advance. A look at the church and bell tower from outside takes a quarter of an hour. It is easy to combine with the churches in Turzańsk and Komańcza.