History

The tserkva, erected in 1894, was originally designed to serve the needs of the Orthodox Church followers who came here as patients of the Military Sanitary Station. The structure was assembled using prefabricated components which were brought in from Russia. At that time, the tserkva was a rectangular building with a steeple on its roof. In 1898, the southern section (the so-called narthex) and the tower were added. In 1914, as the Russian army and administration began their retreat, the tserkva was abandoned; later on, during World War I, it was stripped bare of all of its fixtures and fittings. The building now served as a casino, while in 1935 it was converted into a common room for the troops stationed in the nearby barracks; the interior of the former place of worship has been partially remodelled for that purpose. Both the outer and inner surface of the walls have been covered with weatherboards at the time, allowing much of the period wooden structure to survive intact underneath. After 1945, the building was used as a common room, a film screening room as well as a school and warehouse. Ultimately abandoned, the structure languished for many years before conservation works finally began in 1995 at the initiative of the Orthodox Ordinariate of the Polish Armed Forces. Numerous parts of the building’s structure had already been heavily damaged at that point and had to be reconstructed. The interior fixtures and fittings are all modern items.

Description

The tserkva is a single-storey wooden structure designed in the Trans-Uralian style. Its main body, designed on a quadrangular plan, is made of exposed larch logs. Its gable roof is surmounted by a steeple with a bulbous cupola. A lower narthex with an openwork belfry adjoins the southern side of the main body. Much like the steeple above the nave, the belfry is likewise crowned with a bulbous cupola. The tserkva features lavishly designed fretwork decorations, including the sumptuous window surrounds.

Limited access to the monument. Viewing of the church is only possible by prior telephone appointment.

compiled by Adam Paczuski, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Toruń, 04-11-2014.

Bibliography

• Zabytki architektury i budownictwa w Polsce. Województwo włocławskie (vol. 46), published by the Centre for Documentation of Historical Monuments, Warsaw 1993
• Ciechocinek - dzieje uzdrowiska, Sz. Kubiak (ed.), Włocławek 2001
• Anna Radziukiewicz, Zauralska perła [in:] Przegląd Prawosławny no. 4 (238), Warsaw 2005