Poland

Published by Prawostawny Serwis Internetowy, August 2005

News from the Orthodox Church in Poland

Hundreds of worshippers gathered in Supraśl, a small town near Bialyustok (north east of Poland) on the 8th – 9th of August to celebrate the feast of the Supraśl Icon of the Theothokos. Despite the rain, many made the pilgrimage from the nearby towns. The All night Vigil was served by Metropolitan Sawa – the head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Poland - accompanied by other bishops, priests and worshipers. The church of the Annunciation in Suprasl was filled with people.

Later that night, the panichida (service for the dead) was served by Archbishop Jeremiasz on the catacombs (where once monks were buried), that were recently regained by the monastery from the state. In his sermon, Bishop Jeremiasz expressed his hope that in future a new church would be rebuilt at this place - similarily as it was with the church of the Annunciation.

The first Divine Liturgy was served at 3:30 am by Bishop Grzegorz, who praised the worshippers for coming at night, sacrificing their time, when usually people sleep and rest. He also talked about the importance of humility in the life of a real Christian. A specific element of the Divine Liturgy served by the Archbishop Abel at 6:00 am was the men’s choir from Suprasl singing from the Suprasl irmologion (the set of church melodies used traditionally in this place, that has been recently found). The celebrations finished with Divine Liturgy served by the Metropolitan Sawa in the church of the Annunciation of the Mother of God that is still under construction.

The possible date of the founding of the monastery in Suprasl is 1498. Then came the monks from the monasteries in Kiev. The foundation of the monastery was confirmed by the tomos of the Patriarch of the Constantinople Joachim in 1505. In the second half of the XVIth century, the monastery in Suprasl was the centre of the spiritual and cultural life on these grounds.

In the 20th century, the monastery suffered hard times. In 1919, it was taken over by the state. The buildings were afterwards given to the school of agriculture.

Only in 1984 was the monastery reestablished. In 1993, by the decision of the governement, monastery buildings were given back to the Church. From that time, active reconstruction works have been led there. The church of the Annunciation, one of the few in the style of a defensive church in the world, is still being rebuilt. There are about 20 monks living in Suprasl. Many different people are putting lots of effort into bringing back the previous intensive spiritual, cultural and educational activities. For these role a special foundation called ‘Oikonomos’ was established.

The Suprasl Icon of the Theotokos dates back to the year 1503. It was commissioned by the Bishop of Smolensk, Jozef Sołtan (later Metropolitan of Kiev), one of the founders of the monastery in Suprasl. The icon was a copy of the one in Smolensk from the XIth century. The Suprasl Icon was one of the most venerated images of Mother of God in the region through many centuries, as many miracles and healings are ascribed to it. During the First World War, the icon was destroyed in Russia, since the monks, fearing the German army, escaped there. The icon worshipped in Suprasl now is a copy that was written 100 years ago for the 400th anniversary of the monastery.



Volume 7 Number 35 - Tuesday, August 30th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY