The parts of the complex which best showcase the artistry of its makers are the brick church designed in Gothic Revival style by the distinguished architect Jan Hinz (1842-1902), erected in 1905, as well as the 18th-century brick and stone gate-belfry and four wooden shrines which originally served as Stations of the Cross.

History

The parish church complex was formed over the period between the 17th and the 20th century. The first church to be erected here was a wooden structure, constructed somewhere around the year 1600, with the church cemetery also being established during the same period. The perimeter wall surrounding the cemetery and the gate-belfry was most likely erected in the 18th century, as were the wooden shrines. Originally, there was 14 of those shrines, designed to serve as the Stations of the Cross; today, however, only four remain. The existing Gothic Revival church is a brick structure erected in the years 1899-1905 according to the design produced by the renowned architect Jan Hinz, who is also known as the man behind the infrastructure of the Warsaw-Vienna railway line and the designs for the parish churches in Kuczyn near Ciechanowiec and Marki near Warsaw. The church was partially destroyed during World War I and II, with its complete reconstruction taking place during the 1970s. During the 17th and 18th century, the complex remained an important regional religious centre due to the worship of the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary as well as the presence of a sacred spring located in the rectory park.

Description

The complex is located on a small hill on the eastern side of the road from Korycin to Białystok; it is circumscribed by a perimeter wall made of field stone and incorporating a number of entrance gates. Next to the western section of the wall there is a brick and stone gate-belfry, while the former Stations of the Cross are located in the north-eastern part of the complex. At the heart of the complex lies the brick church, designed in the Gothic Revival style and featuring a pair of slender towers adjoining a body which possesses a complex, sophisticated outline, consisting of several distinct sections. The spires that grace the towers are openwork structures made of concrete components, their designed modelled after similar spires crowning the towers of the Votive Church in Vienna. The interiors feature lavish decorations centred around the use of the pointed arch - a typical feature of Gothic architecture. The main nave features a stellar vault, while the vaulted ceiling present in the side aisles are of the cross-rib type. The brick and stone perimeter wall surrounding the church and the cemetery incorporates four wooden shrines designed on a square floor plan; the shrines are post-and-beam structures clad with weatherboards, covered with pyramid roofs. Another structure incorporated into the perimeter wall is the bell tower, designed as a two-storey brick and stone structure. The lower level of the tower features semi-circular arcaded portals, with massive, decorative wooden doors facing the street. The second-storey windows are framed with plaster surrounds. The gate-belfry is topped with a pyramid roof surmounted by a cross.

The site is open to visitors.

compiled by Grzegorz Ryżewski, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Białystok, 22-09-2014.

Bibliography

• Borowik P., Ryżewski G., Korycin w czasach nowożytnych, “Biuletyn Konserwatorski Województwa Podlaskiego”, issue 11, 2005, pp. 39-58.
• Kułak A., Świątynie i sanktuaria, [in:] Z biegiem Biebrzy. Przewodnik historyczno - etnograficzny, A. Gaweł, G. Ryżewski (eds.), pp. 172-173.
• Łuszczyńska E., Korycin. Kościół parafialny, Architectural monument record sheet, 1977.