Orthodox Chapel in Wojszki

The small Orthodox Chapel of St Michael the Archangel in Wojszki has a surprising pedigree: it was funded in 1865 by the Governor-General of Vilnius, Mikhail Muravyov, nicknamed "the Hangman" for his brutal repression after the January Uprising of 1863 against Russian rule. It was meant to commemorate Russian soldiers killed fighting the insurgents. Today it is a branch chapel of the parish in Ryboły, and the village itself is famous for something quite different – its richly decorated wooden houses.

History: a token of tsarist policy

Muravyov donated 500 roubles to build the chapel. Its dedication was no accident – St Michael the Archangel was the founder's patron saint. The chapel was therefore not only a place of prayer but also a sign of the tsarist politics of memory in a region where the uprising had been fought just a few years earlier. In the 1980s and 1990s the building was considerably enlarged so that services could be held in it. The chapel belongs to the Orthodox parish of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Ryboły, in the Diocese of Warsaw and Bielsk.

A village of wooden ornaments

Wojszki is a former royal village, first recorded in 1562. In 1921 it had 371 inhabitants, almost all Orthodox and declaring Belarusian nationality; today it is home to a Belarusian minority. The traditional wooden buildings of Podlasie and the historic village layout have survived. On both sides of the road stand cottages in different colours, with carved shutters, window frames and corner boards – for decades many of them were decorated by local craftsman Aleksy Ryżyński. Wojszki also lies on the "Wood and Sacrum" cultural route.

Tripto tip

Wojszki lies in the municipality of Juchnowiec Kościelny, in Białystok County, south of Białystok. The chapel has no regular opening hours, so plan to see it from the outside; you can see the interior during a service or by arrangement with the parish in Ryboły. A walk through the village and past the chapel takes 30–45 minutes. The 52 km Juchnowiec cycling loop runs through Wojszki – beyond the village a dirt road follows the Narew valley, and before Kożany you can see a blue Orthodox church and the "Krynoczka" shrine with a well beside its altar. In the same part of Podlasie lies the Land of Open Shutters with Trześcianka, Soce and Puchły.