Church of the Meeting of our Lord
Lemko style
It is a wooden building of a log structure, lined with wood. It is a three-part oriented temple. Above the porch rises the tower of pillar construction …
Virtual tour
We have prepared some practical multimedia materials, which we hope will bring closer to these beautiful historic Polish Orthodox churches. Watching an introductory video with comments from the guide and spiritual guardian of the temple, decorated with moody Church chants, you can emphasize with its atmosphere. Going on a virtual tour, which includes 360 panoramic photos, you can quite imagine yourself inside the temple. For active tourists we have prepared a proposal for a cycling route. We invite you to a virtual tour of the orthodox church, and in the future to visit it in person.
Introduction
The village of Morochow is located 18 km from Sanok. The local Orthodox parish includes the villages of Morochow and Mokreh which were long-developed oil production centers. The first mention of Morochow dates back to 1402.
In the center of the village is the beautiful church of the , which belongs to the Sanocki Dean of Przemysl – Gorlice Orthodox Diocese.
History
The first mentions of the Orthodox church in Morochow date back to 1429.
In 1692, the Przemysl – Gorlice Orthodox Diocese adopted the rulings of the tragic Union of Brest. The decision of the bishops did not meet the people approval. It was a period when – as historians emphasize – the hierarchy was left without believers, and believers without hierarchy. Legally, believers from Morochow returned to Orthodoxy in the 60s of the last century, rejecting the forced rite imposed on them.
The contemporary church was built in 1837 with a tower built in 1854 over the porch. As the legend informs, the place of construction of the temple was not accidental. First, the old church was built at the upper part of Morochow, on the so-called Witriany. One day, during the fire, the wind brought a page from the Evangelium to the place of the cemetery at that time. Residents perceived it as a sign and decided to build a new church on this place. The ashes were moved to the new cemetery and buried in a common grave, which was given the shape of a mound. So says the legend – фы is known – is not confirmed by historical sources.
In 1946 and 1947, the residents of Morochow and Mokre were resettled as a result of the tragic action of “Wisla”. Liturgical life in the church stopped.
Some of them returned a few years later and immediately began to rebuild the destroyed temple. In 1961, the Morochow church became a legally existing Orthodox parish within the boundaries of the Rzeszow Dean of the Orthodox Church in Poland.
Architecture
The church of the Meeting of our Lord in Morochow is more Western-Lemko than the East-Lemko style. It is a wooden building of a log structure, lined with wood. It is a three-part oriented temple. Above the porch rises the tower of pillar construction, topped with a tin bulbous dome with a hexagonal cross. The nef is covered with a tin one-rolled roof, topped with two tin bulbous tents, descending from west to east with a lower-end bell tower on the east side, in which there are three bells. The sanctuary with the sacristy completed on the south side, is closed in a rectangular form. The entrance to the church leads through a porch, atypically, on the south side.
Inside the temple, a four-row iconostasis with authentic icons of the 19th century draws attention, as well as a bribery part, decorated with an icon of the Theotokos and a modest painting representing the sky with stars.
Two wooden crosses were placed next to the church in memory of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus.
In 1985, the Orthodox Church in Morochow was added to the register of architectural monuments.
Attractions
Special attention in the Morochow church is drown to:
- procedural icons, so-called feretrons, delivered from a non-existent church in Zawadka Morochowska and Plonna
- the newly found icon of St. Fekla’s martyr, as well as the icon of St. Panteleimon with a particle of relics.
Virtual tour
Cycling route
Here is a proposal of a cycling route for active tourists. To use it, download the file to your computer by clicking the button on the left, unzip it, upload the .gpx file to any GPS device for navigation… and on the road. We wish you a successful and fruitful journey.
Renovations
In 1921, the church was renovated, but in 1944 during the war it was seriously damaged, its roof was destroyed. After the Second World War, the church was repeatedly reconstructed. Among other, in 1964 the roof was completely replaced. In 1995, a new roof structure was made, and the roof itself is covered with a copper sheet. In 1999 – 2006, the icons on the iconostasis were fully preserved. In 2011 – 2015, the foundation of the church was repaired, and it was lined by new boards. In 2017, a heating system was installed.
In 2019, thanks to funds from the European Union, the general renovation of the church and its surroundings was completed.