Church of the Dormition in Kleszczele

This white Orthodox church with blue onion domes in the centre of Kleszczele stands on the site of a former Catholic church and was partly built from its timber. The Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was consecrated in 1877, and inside it keeps an icon of St Nicholas from the first half of the 16th century, which the faithful regard as miraculous.

History: a brick church for a growing parish

In the 19th century the Orthodox population of Kleszczele grew markedly, and the old parish church of St Nicholas became too small. A new church was therefore built in the 1870s. The Russian state treasury paid for the construction, and parishioners raised 3,299 roubles and 49 kopecks for the furnishings. The church went up on the site of the 18th-century Catholic church of St Sigismund, closed in 1866 by decree of the governor Konstantin von Kaufman, and timber from the demolished wooden church was reused in the building. Unlike the older churches in Kleszczele, the new one was built of brick. It was consecrated on 22 October 1877.

In July 1944 the church burned during the fighting. The roof and most of the furnishings were destroyed, and the iconostasis, the icon screen in front of the altar, was damaged. It was quickly restored, and the lost icons were replaced with ones from a ruined church in Shereshevo. In 1966 ecumenical services were held in this church and in the local Catholic church, something exceptional in the region at the time. The church was thoroughly renovated in 2009 and has been on the heritage register since 1988.

What to look for

The most precious object is the icon of St Nicholas, brought from an older church destroyed in the First World War. Local tradition dates it to the 15th century, but conservation research points to the first half of the 16th century. The saint stands facing the viewer in Greek-style bishop's vestments with black crosses on a white ground, holding a book. The Evangelists fill the corners, and scenes from his life and miracles surround him.

Tripto tip

• Getting inside: this is a working parish church (ul. 1 Maja 2, tel. +48 85 681 80 43). There are no fixed visiting hours, so the easiest way to see the interior is during a service or after contacting the parish in advance.
• Time needed: 20–30 minutes.
• Combine with: the wooden church of St Nicholas, the oldest building in Kleszczele, built in 1709 as a bell tower, and the church of St George. All three belong to the same parish.