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Roman Catholic cemetery - Zabytek.pl

Roman Catholic cemetery


Roman Catholic cemetery Biłgoraj

Address
Biłgoraj

Location
woj. lubelskie, pow. biłgorajski, gm. Biłgoraj (gm. miejska)

A necropolis dating back to the end of the 18th century, comprising a number of preserved Classicist tombstones produced by local stonemasons.

History

The Roman Catholic cemetery was established at the end of the 18th century outside the then boundaries of the town (today Lubelska Street). After 1866, an Orthodox cemetery was set up next to the Roman Catholic one. The shape of the area occupied by both cemeteries evolved during successive enlargements. There was no division into burial plots. The cemetery ceased to be used when all burial sites had been filled. Between 1874-1877, a new cemetery was established in Lubelska Street. The oldest tombstone (from 1787) listed in the records no longer exists. The few tombstones preserved to this day include the remnants of Franciszka Sochacka’s tombstone from 1807. As known from cemetery records, in the 19th century it was surrounded by a wooden picket fence on stone pillars set on a foundation.

There was a brick funeral parlour and a wooden mortuary (morgue). The cemetery was accessible from the east via small bridges and a wooden gate. In the second half of the 19th century, these buildings were destroyed and had to be repaired. At that time, a brick gate in the neo-Baroque style was erected. The area of the cemetery was overgrown by impressive trees (they still existed in the 1950s). Even though the cemetery had ceased to be used for burials at the end of the 19th century, it was not formally closed until 1959. In 1970, the local authorities decided to liquidate the cemetery, but their decision was not put into effect. In the 1980s, the condition of the cemetery was alarming (there was no fence, the gate was in ruins, most of the tombstones were broken).

A spatial development plan was created then, as well as a plan to build a lapidarium for displaying exhibits of sepulchral art. However, the first stage of the renovation was not carried out until 2009 (the tombstones, the main gate were renovated, an ossuary and a fence were built, two plots were prepared for tombs and greenery maintenance works were performed). The works were continued in 2013. The lapidarium exhibits about 40 stone tombstones or their fragments that used to be scattered across the entire cemetery.

Description

The cemetery was set up on a small hill overlooking the valley of the Biała Lada River, 50 m to the north of Lubelska Street.

It covers an area of 0.8 ha and has a quadrilateral shape, with dimensions of 119m/76m. Access to the cemetery is provided via a small levee (from the side of the street) and through a gate (reconstructed, with preserved features of the neo-Baroque form). The whole is surrounded by a new fence with metal panels interspaced by brick posts. Next to the gate, there is a brick funeral parlour. 

In the central part, there is the lapidarium consisting of the preserved Classicist stone tombstones (approximately 40). The collection includes the tombstone of the Grabiński family – owners of the historical sieve makers’ farmstead. In the remaining part of the cemetery, there are new plots for contemporary graves. The whole is surrounded by a new fence with metal panels interspaced by brick posts. The fence incorporates a gate (reconstructed, with preserved features of the neo-Baroque form) and a funeral parlour. The area is overgrown by grass and self-sown trees.

The site is accessible all year round.

compiled by Anna Sikora-Terlecka, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Branch Office in Lublin, 14 October 2014

Bibliography

  • Record sheet, former parish cemetery, currently the old cemetery, Kawałko Danuta, Biłgoraj 1985, Archives of the Voivodeship Office for the Protection of Historic Monuments in Lublin, Branch Office in Zamość, Archives of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Warsaw.
  • Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, vol. VIII: Województwo lubelskie, issue 3: Powiat biłgorajski, compiled by Kwiczala Michalina, Szczepkowska Katarzyna, Brykowski Ryszard, Warsaw 1960, pp. 3-4.
  • Kawałko D., Cmentarze województwa zamojskiego, Zamość 1994, p. 22.

Category: Roman Catholic cemetery

Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records

Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_06_CM.684, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_06_CM.6932