Hi.
As part of our trip through eastern Slovakia, we came close to the Slovak-Polish border. Near them there is a picturesque village with a very interesting cultural monument. I am glad that in today's post I can write about my trip to the wooden church in the village of Bodružal.
I will probably start with the most important. This beautiful wooden church of St. Nicholas has been on the UNESCO list since 2008. And no wonder. It already looks very interesting from the outside. It looks modest, and its wooden character fits perfectly into the color of the surrounding area.
We enter and see in front of us the beauty that our ancestors built and decorated. The first thing you will notice is the iconostasis, which is directly opposite the entrance.
However, the most interesting for me are the paintings on the wall. As we learned, the sun is responsible for the fact that they are less pronounced in some parts. They come from the 1890s and depict various scenes from the Bible.
A very nice lady welcomed us in the church. Her name is Helenka, and together with her husband and parish priest, they take care of this historical monument. She asked us if she should play the recording in Slovak, or if we wanted an interpretation from her in the Russian language. Many Russians live in this area of Slovakia and preserve their culture and dialect. Of course we wanted her to tell us about the church and we did not regret it.
The temple dates from 1658 and is one of the oldest monuments of the Byzantine rite in Slovakia.
The temple is oriented from east to west. It has three towers. The smallest is in the east above the altar, the middle and the largest in the west. It is built entirely of wood, only the foundation is made of stone blocks.
During the First World War, the temple lost two bells. They were replaced by the inhabitants of the village. Currently, the oldest bell dates from 1759.
The decoration of the temple is baroque and is influenced by Byzantine art. However, we also find a Latin influence here.
The temple is surrounded by a wooden fence and you can get inside under the wooden bell tower.
Mrs. Helenka spoke extremely engagingly and although we didn't understand some of the words, we figured them out and it didn't bother us at all. I have to admit that even though we were in the temple, we also laughed together. The temple is beautiful from the outside as well as from the inside. If you are passing by, be sure to stop here. In addition to this beautiful monument, you will be welcomed here by an extremely warm and helpful lady guide.
Thank you