Old Believers' Monastery in Wojnowo

On Lake Duś, a kilometre from the Masurian village of Wojnowo, stands a modest yellow building with an eight-pointed cross on its small tower. This is a former monastery of the Old Believers – Russian Orthodox Christians who rejected the church reforms of the 17th century. Nuns lived here until 2006, and icons still hang in their original place in the former prayer house.

History: Russians in Masuria

Old Believers began settling in Prussia in 1831, fleeing persecution. In 1832 they founded Wojnowo on the Krutynia river. A monastery for men was set up in 1847–1848 with money from the Moscow community of the Fedoseyevtsy branch and was expanded by Piotr Ledniew, known as Pavel of Prussia. He opened a school and a library, but his views – including his defence of the sacrament of marriage – divided the community. A split came in 1866, and by 1884 only one monk was left.

In 1885 the nun Eupraxia bought the buildings and founded a community of women here. Before the First World War more than 40 nuns lived here, caring for the elderly and the sick. After that the community shrank, and the last nun died in 2006. The site is privately owned and run as the Museum of Icons and Old Believer Culture.

What to see

• the monastery prayer house (molenna) – the oldest Old Believer religious building in Poland, with one of the few iconostases in the country still in its original place,
• icons of the Holy Trinity, the Mother of God, Christ and the prophets, crosses and books,
• the nuns' cells and two prayer halls – one for everyday use, the other for cold days,
• in the village, the neo-Gothic parish prayer house from 1923–1927 with 43 icons, and the wooden Orthodox church from 1921–1923.

Interesting facts

• According to tradition, the great chandelier in the prayer house with 32 candles was donated in 1910 by a Russian merchant in memory of his late wife – one candle for each year of her life.
• One of the living rooms opens directly onto the prayer hall. New nuns spent their first six weeks after taking vows there in complete isolation.

Tripto tip

Allow 1–1.5 hours for the monastery and the village. Wojnowo lies on the Krutynia canoe trail, so many people stop here while paddling. As the site is private, arrange your visit with the owner before you go. In the village, also look into the Old Believers' cemetery and the wooden Orthodox church.