This post is also available in: polski
The Suprasl Monastery, as one of the flagship points on the routes of any tour of Podlasie, surprises visitors with its grandeur, beauty and great history. The town itself with its natural wealth and undying idyll. Many tourists fondly return to Suprasl to once again immerse themselves in its spirituality and peaceful atmosphere. Suprasl is intensively promoted by local officials and provincial authorities. It is most often referred to as a spa town, a gem lost in the great forest, a cultural center, a former textile center….
⇒We recommend our popular article titled 10 Places to Visit in Suprasl ⇐
The peculiar approach causes publications to emphasize or, on the contrary, omit certain topics in silence. The Jewish community is not mentioned at all in official brochures (on this blog you will find an extensive article about the Jews of Suprasl. Orthodoxy, from which everything started here, is mostly reduced to describing the history of the monastery complex with emphasis on the Uniate period as allegedly the most prominent in the history of the monastery. It seems that there is a lack of a comprehensive study of the Orthodox parish and important places in its history in the information and tourism space. I will try to fill this gap.
- The guide to Orthodox Suprasl you are reading was created in cooperation with the Oikonomos Foundation.
- It is available in the form of a practical app with the title Paths of Orthodoxy. Suprasl.
- You can use it during your wanderings. Just download the application to your phone from the GooglePlay store
Paths of Orthodoxy. Suprasl. Guide
1.Suprasl Monastery. The history of the establishment of the monastery and its history against the background of historical changes
The origins of the Orthodox male monastery in Supraśl are tied to a completely different location. The monks initially came to the town of Gródek (located 30 km from Supraśl), which was then the main seat of the prominent Orthodox Chodkiewicz family. Aleksander Chodkiewicz, marked by family tragedy, was a devout man. His father, Iwan Chodkiewicz, the Voivode of Kyiv, was captured along with his wife and children. His father died in captivity, while the rest of the family was ransomed from the Turks by Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon.
After returning from captivity, Aleksander Chodkiewicz managed his hereditary lands and systematically expanded his holdings. Being both religious and wealthy, around 1498, he founded a monastery. Monks arrived in Gródek from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, among them some monks from Mount Athos. It is likely that the brethren fled Kyiv to escape the Tatars. Having personally experienced the terror of Tatar-Turkish incursions and maintaining contact with Kyiv, Aleksander Chodkiewicz supported the monks there.
After settling on Chodkiewicz’s lands, the fathers led a hermitic life, living in sketes (hermitages), but they gathered for prayer at the church in the Gródek castle. Only two years later, the monks requested a change of location. Focused on prayer and contemplation, they struggled to adapt to the bustling seat of a powerful noble family, especially as the Lithuanian-Muscovite war was approaching. Aleksander Chodkiewicz agreed to their request…
Suchy Hrud: The Beginnings of Supraśl
According to tradition, the new location for the monastery was revealed by God Himself. The monks placed a wooden cross containing a relic of the True Cross into the Supraśl River. They followed it through the wilderness, believing that where the cross came to rest would be their new home. This occurred in the wilderness of Suchy Hrud, amidst endless forests at the confluence of two streams, Brzozówka and Grabówka, which flow into the Supraśl River.
That is the legend – but what do the sources say? They offer no certainties. What we do know is that Orthodox monks appeared in the area of present-day Supraśl in the early 16th century and began building the monastery with vigor. This was made possible by the generous support of benefactors: Aleksander Chodkiewicz and Bishop Józef Sołtan, who provided extensive donations and assistance. The Supraśl Monastery was not only established in the heart of the vast Błudowska Forest but also at the crossroads of two civilizations: Byzantine and Latin.
The first to be built was the Church of St. John the Theologian (1501), and in 1503-1511 the monumental and architecturally symbolic Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected. Around this time, the monks changed the nature of the monastery to a community, meaning that they no longer lived dispersed in skits. Soon Patriarch Joachim of Constantinople sanctioned the foundation of the monastery with a special tomos (decree). Interestingly, among the many recommendations in this document was an unusual order. The monks were to choose a superior from among their community – in the First Republic such a decision usually belonged to the founders. So the patriarch was keen that the Suprasl Monastery should be independent.
The Monastery in Supraśl: A Curiosity
Orthodox monks still follow the rules written by Saint Basil the Great (329–379), who advised a life of community, obedience, poverty, chastity, diligence, prayer, and brotherly love. Additionally, each monastery shapes its specific practices depending on its location – life differs in the city, the countryside, or the desert. The Orthodox Church does not recognize the concept of monastic congregations.
The Basilian Order emerged during the Uniate period and was approved by Pope Benedict XIV in 1744. These Greek-Uniate monks were referred to as Basilians. Calling the Supraśl Monastery “post-Basilian” is a misleading simplification, as it disregards the first 135 years of its existence.
The Supraśl Monastery: A Time of Flourishing
In a relatively short period, the Supraśl Monastery became an important center of religious worship, a lavra (equivalent to an abbey), a cultural hub, and an economic powerhouse. It maintained connections with other Orthodox spiritual centers, including those in the Balkans, and was one of the most significant Orthodox monasteries in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Its golden age occurred during the tenure of Archimandrite Sergiusz Kimbar (1523–1565).
The Settlement and Monastery Estate
The monastery’s endowed lands, including forests, meadows, pastures, and villages with breweries, mills, and other facilities, enriched its treasury. These resources funded the expansion of the monastery, including the fresco decoration of the Annunciation Church, the construction of the Church of the Resurrection with catacombs, and the development of the monastery estate and adjacent settlement. Fishponds were created, and the course of the river was regulated, forming the so-called Supraśl Water System, which became essential for the settlement’s further development. Over time, various facilities were established around the monastery, including a mill, brewery, bakery, brickyard, sawmill, pottery workshop, paper mill, tile workshop, fulling mills, and textile workshops.
Suprasl Monastery. Library and treasury
From the beginning of the monastery’s existence there was an unusual holiness: a particle of the Holy Cross. Only the most important centers could boast such a relic. There are also accounts of the Judas silversmith stored in Suprasl. Certainly, in subsequent years, funders and distinguished guests regularly and generously endowed the Suprasl monastery. The treasury and library, which already in 1557 numbered 129 books, were filling up. At the end of Archimandrite Sergius Kimbar’s life it was 209 items in various languages. Among them was the Suprasl Codex – since 2007 on the UNESCO list, a priceless 11th-century monument of Slavic writing, which was taken from Suprasl in the 19th century. Books were donated to the monastery by, among others, Alexander Chodkiewicz, Smolensk Bishop Jozef Soltan, Queen Helena – the widow of King Alexander Jagiellon and Catherine of Wisniowiecki.
In addition to the library, a scriptorium functioned on the monastery grounds. The monks spared no time or resources in acquiring, transcribing and producing their own, often polemical books. In addition to simple ones, ornate codices were created, often in rich bindings. Suprasl manuscripts were distributed not only within the Crown and Lithuania – they made their way to Mount Athos, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova and many other places.
The Suprasl library was visited by religious and political activists, historians and philosophers. The numerous manuscripts and latoprints gathered here won the admiration of King Sigismund Augustus himself, who visited the monastery in 1543. The value of the accumulated collection required protection. In 1568 a statute was created and it was forbidden to take the works outside the monastery walls. This, unfortunately, proved ineffective… In the 19th century the books were systematically sold off or taken out of Suprasl. Some survived and still adorn many libraries today.
Suprasl Monastery. Suprasl Irmologion
Irmologion is an Orthodox liturgical book containing texts sung at services. The Supraśl Irmologion was written in 1598-1601 and its author was a talented singer from Pinsk – Bogdan Onisimovich. He recorded on 700-something pages, in note-and-line form, a full cycle of Orthodox liturgical music. The work is currently in the Library of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where it found its way after what must have been many adventures. Most likely, Onisimovich (who was not a monk but only a hired chorister) took the Irmonologion out of Suprasl after he came into conflict with the monastery’s caretaker, Christopher Khodkevich, in 1630 and was expelled. The Suprasl Irmologion is an outstanding work, compared to the most distinguished known manuscripts of music. Music from this unique book is performed and published all over the world.
Suprasl Monastery. Icon
The most important, particularly revered Suprasl icon was a copy of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God (of the Hodegetria type). It was donated to the monastery by Smolensk Bishop Joseph Soltan in 1503. The image of considerable size (2.38 x 1.28 meters) was originally in the Church of St. John the Theologian, but after the temple fire the image received a stone-blasted riza and was placed in the Annunciation Church. The icon of Our Lady of Supraska became famous for its miracles, and was a pilgrimage destination not only for the Orthodox population, but also for Catholics. Unfortunately, Supraska’s most holy icon was taken away during the Pendency of Poverty and was lost in the turmoil of World War I. Today, the faithful pray to its copy from the late 19th century. It is worth mentioning that two other important icons donated to the monastery in the 16th century have also not survived: the Mother of God Umileniye – a gift of Queen Helena, and Christ the Savior a gift of Bishop Soltan.
The Union of Brest and its impact on the history of the monastery
The Union of Brest, or the resolutions of the Council that met in 1596 in Brest, had a huge impact on the history of the monastery and Orthodoxy as such in the territories of the First Republic. The topic should not be avoided although it is difficult, painful for some and always marked by an individual approach. Here we have no time for historical polemics. We would like to present in (huge by the way) briefly how today conscious adherents of Orthodoxy in the Bialystok region perceive this issue in the context of the Supraska Monastery.
The Union of Brest was signed or established by some Orthodox hierarchs, tempted by the dignities and graces offered by representatives of the Catholic Church. The context is, of course, much broader, and one must take into account pressure from the ruler, who at the time was Sigismund III Vasa, known for his Catholic piety.
What was at stake? It’s very simple – the recognition of the Pope as the head of the Orthodox Church in the Republic and the adoption of Catholic dogmas. At the same time, very cleverly in the Orthodox churches, the setting and Byzantine rite were to be preserved. To put it bluntly… submission to the Pope in such a way that the masses praying in the Orthodox churches did not realize what a huge change had actually taken place. After all, neither in the interior of the temple, nor in the language, nor even in the course of the liturgy has changed much… The authors of the ideological basis of this idea were Catholic Jesuits. Changes were introduced very slowly but effectively. As a result, already in the eighteenth century, the equipment of Podlasie Orthodox churches included typical for Catholic churches… pulpits, monstrances, statues, paintings instead of canonical icons, iconostasis was missing. After the annulment of the provisions of the Union of Brest in 1839, even the Pope did not protest too vehemently – the realities prevailing in the ethnically Belarusian-Ukrainian lands were well known in the Vatican. The experiment though zealously introduced failed. The current state of affairs in southeastern Bialystok is living proof of this. The monastery in Suprasl and the Orthodox Church are doing well, the Uniate, despite attempts to restore it between the wars, has not found adherents here.
It is worth quoting the words of the chancellor of VLK, one of the founders of the Union of Brest, Lev Sapieha, which he privately addressed to Bishop Kuncevich of Polotsk and which proved prophetic:
“Your holiness, as you understand it allows you to loot schismatics and cut off their heads, and the Gospel teaches quite the opposite. This union has caused great unhappiness. The Union will not bring joy, but mere discord, quarrels, confusion. It would be much better if it never took place among us. Let us beware lest this union become the cause of your and our doom.”
Suprasl Monastery at the time of the Union of Brest
In 1596, the archimandrite of the Suprasl Monastery was Hilarion Massalski. At the Council of Brest, he opposed the union with Rome and refused to subordinate the monastery to a Uniate metropolitan. The huge monastery property was a gluttonous morsel, and the pressure did not stop. In 1614 Massalsky’s successor gives in and signs a Latin confession of faith. This begins the Unitarian period in the history of the monastery, which was finally subordinated to the Basilian rule in 1635. The entrenched tradition of Orthodox monasticism although outwardly visible over the following decades was systematically suppressed. The goal of the Basilians (which included Roman Catholic nobility) was the Latinization and later Polonization of the Uniate Orthodox Church. One may ask why Catholics were joining the Uniate order, converting to the Uniate rite? As Irena Matus, a researcher on the Union of Brest, explains, it was the fastest way to a career. Basilians filled the most important offices of the Uniate Orthodox Church, had vast property, education, and were supported by the state.
Orthodox optics, that is, the mysticism of the Eastern religion does not go hand in hand with the pragmatism of the Western Church. Evaluations are clear: during the Uniate era, there was a significant impoverishment of monasticism and a decline in Eastern spirituality. The Supraska monastery became one of many Basilian orders, and lost its importance as a leading center of religious thought. In the 18th century it was mainly the seat of a Uniate bishop with a prosperous printing house and profitable estate. Thanks to this, moreover, a magnificent palace of archimandrites was built, a gate with a belfry, an impressive Italian garden was established and a beautiful carved Baroque iconostasis was installed in the Annunciation Church. The most prominent archimandrite during the Uniate era was Leon Kishka, who held this dignity from 1708-1728.
The Printing House (1695-1803)
The Uniate Church needed hundreds of books of various kinds, as there was a shortage of Cyrillic prints in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Liturgical books, textbooks, prayer books etc. were needed. Originally, the Uniate printing house was established in Vilnius in 1692, but it was moved to Suprasl a few years later. The first book to be fully embossed in the Suprasl outhouse was The Life of St Onufry. In total, 528 titles including 89 Cyrillic editions came out of the printing house over the 108 years of its existence. The books were bound in red-painted, leather-covered animal skins, which added to their value. Circulations ranged from 1,000 to as many as 1,500 copies. The recipients of books from Suprasl were Uniates, Old Believers and Roman Catholics in the territories of present-day Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries. In addition to religious books, secular titles also came out of the Supraśl publishing house. Among other things, Suprasl printed Enlightenment poetry, opera librettos, the now widely known ‘Pieśni nabożne’ (Devotional Songs) by Franciszek Karpiński and ‘Przestrogi dla Polski’ (Warnings for Poland) by Stanisław Staszic. J. Swift’s ‘Captain Gulliver’s Travels’ was published in Polish for the first time.
Archimandrite Palace / Abbots’ Palace / Bell Tower
In the middle of the 16th century, where the Abbots’ Palace stands today, on a high escarpment with a panoramic view, there was a basement building with a refectory, larders and a monastery kitchen (the work of Koszkyn, a builder from Vilnius). In 1722-1745, a tall palace was added to the existing structure. It is a Mannerist building, rectangular in plan, with two risalits between which is a loggia on the river side. The interiors have an amphitheatre-corridor layout and there is a three-storey palace chapel opposite the entrance. In addition, the palace contained the abbot’s rooms and bedroom, two libraries, a refectory, storerooms, a punishment room and utility rooms. Today, the Abbots’ Palace houses the Museum of Printing Art and Papermaking, which is in a way a continuation of tradition, as it was here that the Basilian printing works operated for over 100 years. In the 19th century, the palace became the residence of the Zachert family, who surrounded it with a fence with decorative gates, which still exists today. After the war, the palace was in a deplorable state – it was successfully rebuilt and restored. In the premises of the Abbots’ Palace, very popular Icon Museum has been operating since 2006, while since 2014 the Supraska Academy has been running a Pilgrim House and educational and exhibition activities.
The monastery’s entire 18th-century Baroque composition was complemented by a gate-belfry reminiscent of a triumphal arch, erected in 1752. Its predecessor, a structure from 1697, burned down in 1702. Until the First World War, the gate housed four bells, including one weighing an impressive 2.5 tonnes. Since 2010, during the Paschal season, the Festival of Orthodox Bell Ringing ‘Announces, praises, exhorts’ has been held here. At this time, the extraordinary sounds of 10 bells are rung from the gate by contestants: amateurs and professionals.
Baroque iconostasis
The new Baroque iconostasis for the Annunciation Church was commissioned during the time of archimandrite Nikodem Szybinski. It was created in 1640-43 and was a masterpiece of woodcarving art. From 1829 comes the following description: ‘An iconostasis of three storeys, of beautiful woodcarving work, with pillars, capitals, gzems, pilasters, angels, vases and various tasteful stuccowork decorated, all lavishly gilded’ Interestingly, this marvel was ordered from Gdansk and transported by ship to the port of Tykocin and from there by submarines to Suprasl. The magnificent iconostasis was bestially chopped up and burnt by the Soviets occupying Suprasl.
Decline of splendour
With the collapse of the First Polish Republic, the Suprasl Monastery also declined. Under Prussian rule (1795-1807), the monastery’s former endowments were secularised, or, to put it bluntly, confiscated for the benefit of the state. The profitable printing press was closed down. The monastery, which had been richly endowed for centuries, slowly fell into poverty, its buildings, including the Orthodox churches, into disrepair. During the Russian partition, the financial crisis only worsened. In the 1830s, Friedrich Wilhelm Zachert, a strong enemy of the monks, began to lease part of the monastery buildings and even committed acts of violence. At the end of the 19th century, under Archimandrite Nikolai Dolmatov, the Annunciation Church manages to recover somewhat, but the worst was yet to come.
The exile of 2 million people (so called Bieżeństwo) and the First World War deprived the Suprasl Monastery of its greatest sanctities – icons, the most precious books, utensils. Transported deep into Russia, they were lost. In the interwar period, the Orthodox monks were expelled from the monastery buildings, which were leased to the Catholic Salesians.
2 The history of the Orthodox parish in Suprasl
Although the monastery had existed there since 1500, the Orthodox parish in Suprasl was not established until 1800. Until the development of industry and the expansion of the town by Friedrich Wilhelm Zachert, the Supraśl settlement had a maximum of 200 people. In 1910, there were already 3272 people! At the time of the rapid development of the textile industry, i.e. after 1831, Orthodox Christians were in a minority in the town. In 1849, the parish was completely liquidated and the faithful were assigned to the neighbouring parishes in Wasilków, Dojlidy, Ostrow and Sokolka. The Suprasl monastery remained stagnant, the centuries-old buildings deteriorated, the legendary frescoes were whitewashed, and the library collection was regularly depleted. The breakthrough came in 1881, when Nikolai Dolmatov became the archimandrite (superior) of the monastery. He is credited with saving the monastery: he built a new church of St John the Theologian, renewed monastic life, established a new cemetery in Podsuprasl where St George’s church was built, and raised the old monastery buildings from ruin.
The Supraska Confraternity of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, founded in 1893, played a significant role at that time. It was an association whose main purpose was to strengthen the spirit of the Orthodox Church among the surrounding population and to support the monastery. The association brought together clergy and laity alike, initially with 68 members and in 1900 with 450 people. Its honorary members included the Archbishop of Lithuania and Vilnius Donatus and the Governor of Grodno. The Confraternity of the Annunciation spread education and provided assistance on various levels. Singing courses were held and books and a socio-religious magazine were published. In 1910, a medical clinic was opened at the monastery. The outbreak of the First War ended this stage of the development of the Orthodox parish in Suprasl. In 1915, the majority of Orthodox believers left their homes for the forced exile into the depths of Russia known as bieżeństwo. The monks of Suprasl also left, taking with them their most precious possessions, including the icon of the Mother of God, famous for its grace – its further fate is still unknown. The returns from revolution- and civil war-ridden Russia were protracted: they lasted until 1922. Thousands of people did not survive the Pledging; of the monks, only two returned; the others were probably shot by the Bolsheviks.
Suprasl Monastery in free Poland
Orthodox Christians were returning to their homes and villages, which had been on the territory of the reborn Republic since 1918. Unfortunately, the new state took a harsh course towards minorities: the Polonisation of the Orthodox population by, among other things, depriving them of their churches also became a reality in Suprasl. Despite lawsuits, letters and complaints from Orthodox residents to the state authorities, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church was closed and sealed, the Church of St John the Theologian was not allowed to be used, and the old Orthodox cemetery with the Church of St Panteleimon was taken over by the Roman Catholic parish. In May 1924, the last monk was forcibly removed from the monastery. Soon the monastery buildings taken over by the state began to be leased and used by Catholic Salesians (they run an orphanage for boys), and the Annunciation Church was consecrated as a church. The governor only allowed the Orthodox to use the small cemetery church of St George, despite the fact that the population of Supraska in 1922 was 2235. The faithful belonged to the parish in Wasilkow, but at their request in 1931, Rev Aleksy Mularczyk (1894-1970) was permanently assigned to the Suprasl branch. The court dispute over the monastery between the Salesians and the Orthodox Church was not settled until the outbreak of the Second World War.
Suprasl Monastery. Wartime and post-war times
Unfortunately, the turmoil of war brought almost total destruction to the monaster buildings: the churches were profaned, plundered and devastated by the Soviet occupants, and finally the oldest and most valuable church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was blown up by the Germans on 23 July 1944. During the German occupation, Fr Mularczyk won the possibility to use the church of St John the Theologian. On the other hand, the years 1944-45 see the exacerbation of the conflict with the Salesians:
‘The taking away of the templeś is not the only means of terror used on the Orthodox inhabitants of Suprasl. The pupils of the care and education institution run by the Salesians tried to intimidate the Orthodox by insulting them, throwing stones at them or breaking windows in the Orthodox church and the dwelling house, as Fr. Mularczyk writes in his correspondence (Monastery Archives). In May 1945, three young people, suspected of communist sympathies, were murdered. Two weeks later, the parents of one of them were also killed. The bandits also planned to murder Fr Mularczyk’s sons, but they were warned and managed to escape (Makal, 2003, pp. 52-53). Soon, the monks living in the house next to the St. John the Theologian Orthodox Church were attacked. John the Theologian Church. The perpetrators drove them out of the building, which was quickly taken over by the Salesian priests.’ (Outline of the History of the Orthodox Parish of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Theologian in Suprasl. John the Theologian in Suprasl. P. Karczewski, in Elpis no.21, 2019, p.103)
Although the Salesians returned to the monastery, they did not stay there long – their lease ended in 1948. The Agricultural Mechanisation Training Centre soon became the owner of the monaster buildings. Thus, the Orthodox were deprived of St John’s Orthodox Church, located on the territory of the monastery, and could again use only the cemetery church in Podsuprasl. In July 1957, the demolition of St John the Theologian Orthodox Church began …. Fr. Mularczyk sounded the alarm, the tops of the state authorities intervened. At the end of 1957, the ruined Church of St John the Theologian was finally returned to the Orthodox. Quieter but very busy years followed, during which the parish priest not only carried out his ministry, but also a great deal of renovation work. Extremely meritorious for sustaining Orthodoxy in Suprasl, Fr Aleksy Mularyczyk died at the age of 76 in December 1970. He was succeeded by Fr Aleksander Makal, who arrived in Suprasl in August 1971. The new parish priest meticulously cared for the spiritual life of Suprasl parishioners and renovated the parish house and Orthodox churches. The parish flourished – between 1971 and 1984 Fr Makal baptised 280 children, performed 121 weddings and buried 200 people. Only in the monastery courtyard was the ruin of the blighted Annunciation Church overgrown with grass….
Revival of monastic life, reconstruction of the Annunciation Church
Everything changed in 1981, when Bishop Sawa became the new Ordinary of the Diocese of Bialystok and Gdansk. He immediately set to work – his aim was to take over the ruins of the church and reconstruct it. All the Orthodox inhabitants of Poland were to unite around the reconstruction of the church. On 3 June 1984, the foundation stone of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was laid. Pilgrims came from all over the country, their number estimated at 10,000. The guest of honour was the Romanian Metropolitan of Oltenia Nestor. In 1984, Hieromonk Miron Chodakovsky arrives in Suprasl and becomes the new vicar of the erected monastic parish and the Monastic House. The revival of monastic life becomes a fact. The Suprasl Monastery is officially restored in 1989. The brothers, for the time being, reside in the parish house on 3 May Street in Suprasl. At the same time, efforts are underway to recognise the ownership of the Orthodox church, the monaster buildings and the catacombs. The Suprasl case even reaches Pope John Paul II. After years of efforts, the Suprasl Monastery was officially handed over to the Orthodox on 28 February 1996. The agricultural mechanisation technical school leaves the monastery buildings in September of that year. Monks return to the monastery. Painstaking renovation work begins, and the monumental Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Orthodox Church is being rebuilt. On 19 May 1999, the building was crowned with a gilded cross. The church was consecrated on 27 June 2021. Below you can see photos of its interior.
Leave a Reply