Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Zabłudów

The white Neoclassical church in Zabłudów, with its two towers and columned portico, took 35 years to build, from 1805 to 1840. It exists because the Prussian authorities had its predecessor pulled down in 1800, leaving Catholics to worship in the Calvinist church for years. The frieze above the columns bears the inscription "Come, let us worship the Lord", and the high altar holds a painting of the patron saints made in Berlin in 1840.

History: from the Chodkiewicz family to Prussian rule

Zabłudów belonged to the Chodkiewicz family, as confirmed by King Sigismund the Old in a document of 1525. In 1553 the town received Magdeburg rights, and Grzegorz Chodkiewicz endowed the Catholic parish. The first wooden church was dedicated to the Assumption and burned down in 1685. Rebuilt in 1688, it received a new dedication to Saints Peter and Paul, and in 1762 it was restored with support from M.K. Radziwiłł.

After the Third Partition of Poland, Zabłudów came under Prussian rule. In 1800 the Prussian authorities had the wooden church demolished, and services moved to the Calvinist church. Work on a new brick church began in 1805 and dragged on for decades; it was finally funded by Countess Demblińska.

Blessing and furnishings

The finished church was blessed by Father Franciszek Piotrowski on 29 June 1840, the feast of its patrons, and consecrated on 21 September 1856 by Wacław Żyliński, Bishop of Vilnius. The high altar holds a painting of the Apostles Peter and Paul by Antoni Kollberg, made in Berlin in 1840. The side altars have paintings of St Michael the Archangel and the Annunciation. In 1913 the church received a pneumatic organ with 14 stops from A. Szymański's firm in Warsaw, together with new Stations of the Cross.

Tripto tip

The façade is best seen from the gate: only up close can you make out the reliefs above the entrance and the inscription on the frieze. It is a working parish church of the Archdiocese of Białystok, so the interior is easiest to see before or after Mass. 15–20 minutes is enough for a visit, and national road 19 from Białystok heading south runs through Zabłudów, so the church is an easy stop on the way.