It is also an important centre for Marian worship in the region. The chapel of the Virgin Mary features a highly original silhouette and Renaissance Revival decorations - a feature seldom seen in the ecclesiastical architecture of this region.

History

The first mentions of the village of Studzienicza in written sources - admittedly more akin to a legend than a description of actual facts - date back to the year 1740, when a lone hermit is said to have settled in the area, building a shack for himself in the woods and devoting his time to prayer. Another hermit, Wincenty Murawski, erected a wooden shrine on the nearby islet in the year 1770. Seven years later, a wooden church was relocated to the area from Augustów and reconstructed on the shores of the lake, near the islet. A local parish was first established in 1795, while in 1847, the old church was replaced by a new one, funded by Szymon Andruszkiewicz, a farmer from the village of Pawłówka. In 1871, a wooden bell tower was constructed alongside the church. The original shrine erected by W. Murawski was later replaced by a new, wooden one, and then by the brick chapel still standing today, erected in 1872. The chapel stands on 64 wooden piles and was only accessible by means of a bridge; towards the end of the 19th century, an embankment with a causeway was built instead and was gradually being widened ever since. The sanctuary is located away from any inhabited areas, among the forests and the lakes; due to its importance as the centre for Marian worship, it has been elevated to the status of a separate parish. The miraculous image of the Virgin Mary with Child dates back to the 18th century and can now be admired inside the island chapel, forming part of the retable of the wooden, Romanesque altarpiece constructed in 1908.

Description

The ecclesiastical complex is located in the north-eastern part of Augustów, on a peninsula extending into the Studzienicze lake, between the barrages of the Augustów Canal in Przewięź and Swoboda. It can be accessed by travelling down the road which leads away to the south from the Augustów-Sejny road.

The entire complex is centred around a wooden church with a bell tower, oriented towards the east, located in the south-eastern part of the surrounding cemetery. The church and the graveyard are surrounded by a wooden picket fence. An alley leading up to the island chapel runs alongside the northern part of the fence. The church is surrounded by impressive old trees, including a single specimen of pedunculate oak which has attained the status of a natural monument. The Renaissance Revival chapel on the nearby islet is surrounded by the Brzozowy Grąd nature reserve. John Paul II Square. A water well and a few other modern structures, including the monument to pope John Paul II, are situated near the chapel.

The site is accessible to visitors.

compiled by Iwona Górska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Białystok, 30-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Jemielity W., Matka Boska Studzieniczna, Łomża 1989.
• Batura Wojciech, Augustów, miasto królewskie, Augustów 2003, s. 21, il. s. 22-3.
• Joanna Kotyńska-Stetkiewicz, Grzegorz Ryżewski, Katalog zabytkowego budownictwa drewnianego. Architektura sakralna. Pow. Augustowski, sejneński, suwalski.t.1, Białystok 2005, s. 31-3.