Tserkva in Radruż – a wonder of wooden architecture

A settlement in Radruż existed as early as 1444, and was subject to the Vlach law. There was a parish and a Ruthenian church here. There was also a quarry from which the local people extracted limestone blocks. These were used to build foundations of many cottages as well as robust walls, such as the one surrounding the tserkva. Dating back to the 16th century, originally Orthodox and later Greek-Catholic Church of St. Paraskeva was built mainly of larch and oak. In 2013 it was recognized as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, along with other wooden tserkvas in Poland and Ukraine. It has also been included in the Subcarpathian Route of Wooden Architecture. Since 2010, the whole complex of buildings has been administered by and is part of Museum of the Borderland in Lubaczów. In November 2017, it also was granted a status of a monument of history by the President of the Republic of Poland.

The magnificent building with the nave covered with a tent-shaped shingle roof is located on a small hill amidst many trees. The whole complex is surrounded by a wall built of limestone blocks. In fact, limestone has been commonly used for various purposes in the Roztocze region as there are ample resources of this material here. This is because in the Miocene this area was at the bottom of a warm sea and there may have even been a coral reef where the church now stands.

The church was possibly founded in 1583 by the Starost of Lubaczów, Jan Płaza of Topór coat of arms. Today those coming inside can admire the furnishings, including the side altar mensa, a lovely pulpit and a stone baptismal font, beautiful polychromes on the beams and valuable wall paintings. After World War II the tserkva was no longer a place of worship, and it gradually deteriorated. First attempts at the restoration of the place were made in 1963-1965, however art historians say that many mistakes were made on that occasion. For example, iron nails were used rather than wooden studs to fix the shingles. It was cheaper that way. Fortunately, the magic of the building has remained intact over the years. Today, the tserkva holds a museum exposition and attracts thousands of tourists.

Visitors’ attention is invariably drawn to the roofing around the church. The so-called ‘soboty’ or ‘saturdays’ supported on wooden posts, are common in Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic churches in the Carpathian Mountains. The only preserved structure of this type in the Roztocze highland can be seen in Radruż. What was its purpose? The explanation is simple. In the past, a liturgical service could only be held until 11 a.m. on Sunday. In order to make it to church on time, pilgrims who lived far away used to arrive on Saturday. They would spend the night under this roofing, outside the church. It was also a good occasion to chat and exchange news. Possibly a visit to the nearby tavern added to the easy flow of these night-time discussions. Besides providing shelter for pilgrims, the roofing had another important function – it protected the foundations and the framing of the church.

The complex also includes a wooden belfry from the late 16th and early 17th century. It is supported on pillars, it has a characteristic very low entrance and a prominent upper floor, and it is covered with shingles. A mortuary and the so-called Deacon's House from the second half of the 1800s are built into the stone wall surrounding the church.

On the green lawn around the church, you can see the beautiful white tomb crosses made by stonecraft masters from Stare Brusno. These are relics of the cemetery which once was next to the tserkva. An impressive limestone slab lying on the grass attracts particular attention. An inscription in Old Church Slavonic says that the ashes of the noble Katarzyna Eliaszowa Dubniewiczowa, wife of the village head, are buried here. It is said that Katarzyna was a beautiful girl when she was enslaved and taken away by Tartars. In the distant lands, a rich ruler fell in love with her, and when he died, Katarzyna returned to Radruż in a gilded coach and she used the treasures to build the tserkva.

There is also a tomb of the Andruszewski family, who owned and administered the village in the second half of the 19th century. They maintained very good relations with the Greek-Catholic community of the village which explains why their family crypt is located here.

The church, with its late-Gothic features, has tripartite longitudinal design and comprises the women’s section, the nave and the chancel. The characteristic tent-shaped roof over the central section, a rarity in this area, is topped by a quadrilateral log dome with a roof lantern and a wrought iron Jerusalem cross. The remaining parts are covered by gabled roofs.

Visitors are often surprised by the massive ‘hole’ in the wall between the nave and the chancel. A few years ago, its purpose was discovered by accident. It happened when the famous actor Jan Nowicki was visiting the church with a group of his students. It was evening when the group of travellers went inside. Suddenly the young students decided to sing something. One of the girls intoned ‘Ave Maria’. As the participants of this event recall, suddenly the air in the chancel began to move. Everyone had a feeling that the dome of the tserkva would collapse onto their heads. It turned out that when the student began to sing inside the tserkva, she could be heard far away in the village. Such an opening in a wooden wall turns the interior into a resonance chamber, like in a musical instrument.

• Within the tserkva complex there are twenty large linden trees which remember the 17th century and the times of King John III Sobieski.
• Deposits of Miocene limestone, still exploited today in this region, are about 20 metres thick. 
• The building of an old private theatre from 1843-1846 has been preserved in the nearby Horyniec-Zdrój. Acting troupes from Lviv and Vienna used to perform here for the guests of the Poniński family, the owners of the village.
• On 15-16 September 1939, in the area of Oleszyce, Cieszanów and Horyniec-Zdrój, the 21st Infantry Division led by General Józef Kustroń fought heavy battles with the German army.

If you want to see the real gem of Roztocze with your own eyes, you must visit Radruż. Driving along the road about 3 km south of Horyniec Zdrój, you will turn left from the main crossroads and after about 100 m, you will arrive at the gate of the tserkva. You will find information about the ticket prices and opening hours at: https://muzeumkresow.eu/