Churches & monasteries

Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Zabłudów

By the national road 19, on the Białystok–Bielsk Podlaski route, stands the church of Saints Peter and Paul — a temple built over three and a half decades, from 1805 to 1840, with funds from Countess Demblińska. The parish beginnings of Zabłudów, however, reach back to the times of Sigismund I the Old.

From the Błudów Forest

The first church probably arose here around 1525, when King Sigismund I the Old confirmed the grant of the Błudów Forest to Aleksander Chodkiewicz. In 1553, with the town charter issued by Sigismund II Augustus, Zabłudów already had an Orthodox church and a Catholic church — the then temple bore the title of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Three decades of construction

The present temple was begun in 1805 and completed only in 1840. It was consecrated on 29 June 1840, the feast day of its patrons. The main altar features an image of Saints Peter and Paul from 1840; the side altars are dedicated to St Michael the Archangel and the Annunciation. Inside play 14-voice organs, and the Stations of the Cross date from 1913.

In practice

The church stands at Kościelna street, almost on road 19 — a convenient stop when travelling through Podlasie. 12 km away is the wooden church of Puchły and the Land of Open Shutters, 17–18 km the Branicki Palace and cathedral in Białystok, and 22 km the monastery and Museum of Icons in Supraśl.