The design of the church is clearly inspired by the architecture of the Gothic period. Despite the passage of time, the church has managed to survive in its original form. Its fixtures and fittings include one of the very few surviving 17th-century altarpiece retables in the former Grodno region.

History

The church was erected somewhere around the year 1610, with the funds for its construction being provided by Krzysztof Wiesiołowski and his wife, Aleksandra. In 1763, the roof truss and cladding were replaced. It is believed that in the second half of the 19th century, the church received a new, thatched roof cladding, later replaced with sheet metal in 1929. In 1953, the small, segment-headed windows were replaced with larger, rectangular ones. In years 1965-1975, a new weatherboard cladding was installed on the walls, which were additionally reinforced with vertical supports; the flooring, ceilings and stairs were all replaced, while the organ gallery was refurbished. In the 1990s, the sill plates underneath the structure were replaced, with the windows being restored to their original appearance. In the years 1995-1996, the roof truss was repaired, with the roof being covered with wood shingles.

Description

The church is located in the north-eastern part of the village, alongside the road leading to the former manor house complex; it is surrounded with a stone wall. The church is oriented towards the east. The church features an aisleless layout; it was designed on a rectangular floor plan, its chancel featuring a semi-hexagonal end section and an adjoining sacristy. The entire structure is covered with a tall, six-sided roof, with a mono-pitched roof used for the sacristy. The church is a wooden log structure positioned on stone foundations, its walls covered with weatherboards inside and out. The roof of the church is clad with wood shingles. The window and door joinery is made of wood, as are all its floors and ceilings. Inside, there is an organ gallery, supported by wooden posts. The altarpiece retable, designed in a mixture of the Renaissance and Mannerist styles, was crafted in 1610 in Grodno and takes the form of a triptych with fixed side wings. Another notable item is a stone baptismal font from 1609.

The site may be visited upon prior arrangement with the caretaker of the church.

compiled by Aneta Kułak, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Białystok, 04-07-2014.

Bibliography

• Kamienna Stara. Kościół filialny pw. św. Anny. Studium historyczno-architektoniczne, compiled by J. Kotyńska-Stetkiewicz, Białystok 1988, typescript available at the Monument Conservation Workshop (PP PKZ)
• Kułak A., Świątynie i sanktuaria, [in:] Z biegiem Biebrzy. Przewodnik historyczno - etnograficzny, A. Gaweł, G. Ryżewski (eds.), Białystok-Suchowola 2012, pp. 161-162.
• Stalończyk L., Zabytki ruchome zakonserwowane w latach 1985-1990 w województwie białostockim, “Biuletyn Konserwatorski Województwa Podlaskiego”, issue 2, 1996, pp. 99-109.
• Tomecka B., Prace remontowe i konserwatorskie kościoła filialnego pw. św. Anny w Starej Kamiennej, gm. Dabrowa Białostocka, “Biuletyn Konserwatorski Województwa Podlaskiego”, issue 3, 1997, pp. 110-113.
• Zawadzka K., Projekt wyposażenia wnętrza zabytkowego kościoła pw. św. Anny w starej Kamiennej parafii Dąbrowy Białostockiej, “Biuletyn Konserwatorski Województwa Podlaskiego”, issue 2, 1996, pp. 110-113.