St George’s Orthodox Church in Bialystok is one of the most important Orthodox churches in the region, and a place of rich history and spiritual heritage. Located at 36 Kazimierza Pułaskiego Street, in the New Town district, it belongs to the parish of Saint George, part of the Bialystok deanery of the Bialystok diocese of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
St George’s parish was erected in 1996, as a result of separation from the parish at Holy Trinity Sobor in Bialystok. The first church serving the faithful was a wooden Orthodox church moved from Czyż. The foundation stone of the present church was consecrated on 15 October 1998 by Constantinopolitan Patriarch Bartholomew I. The construction of the church officially began two years later, when Bishop Jacob of Bialystok and Gdansk officially laid the foundation stone on 6 May 2000.
St George’s Church. Photo Rakoon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Work on the church’s construction took several years, with a one-year break in 2005 due to the need to complete the project. By 2006, the domes were completed and consecrated by Bishop James and Archbishop Paul of Nice. The lower part of the church, dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God, was consecrated in 2010 by the Metropolitan of Warsaw and all of Poland, Sava. In 2016, the church became the site of important events, such as the placement of the icon of St Paisius Hagiorite, written by his disciple, the monk Paisius of Mount Athos. In the same year, the Orthodox church was visited by Patriarch John X of Antioch. In October 2021, the parish celebrated its 25th anniversary, which was commemorated, among other things, with an open-air photo exhibition documenting the history of the parish.
St George’s Church is a two-storey brick church maintained in a modern style with strong references to traditional Russian-Byzantine architecture. Its characteristic feature is the gilded onion-shaped domes that crown the building, giving it a majestic appearance.
The upper church has two altars – the main altar, made of oak, and a side altar dedicated to St Anatoly the Martyr. The icons in both iconostasis were written by iconographer Yaroslav Vishchenko, and the frescoes decorating the walls are also his work. Inside the upper church are the relics of St Barbara and the icon of St Paisyus the Hagiorite, brought from Mount Athos. The lower church, dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God, is equipped with a marble altar and iconostasis, and its frescoes were created by Joanna and Yaroslav Yakimchuk. It also houses the relics of the holy Vilnius martyrs Anthony, John and Eustace.
In 2021, a khachkar – a traditional Armenian cross commemorating the slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1917 – was unveiled in the area adjacent to the church. The monument was funded by the Armenian community belonging to the parish.
St George’s Church in Bialystok, although relatively young, has become an important point on the map of Orthodox churches in Poland. Its architecture, icons and history attract many people who wish to learn about the rich religious heritage of Eastern Christianity. The temple is not only a place of prayer, but also a symbol of the revival and continuation of the Orthodox tradition in Podlasie.
Source: parafia-swietego-jerzego.pl
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Białystok | Interesting facts | Sacred architecture | whiteMAD on Instagram
