Church of the Dormition in Bałucianka, Eastern Orthodox church in Bałucianka, Poland.
The Church of the Dormition in Bałucianka is a wooden log church built around 1750, divided into a smaller rectangular chancel, a nave and a tower with walls narrowing toward the top. Above the nave and sanctuary are eight-sided domes on squinches, and the roof and walls are covered with shingles. A stone bell tower stands beside it.
The church probably dates from the 17th century; 1750 is the oldest date carved on its lintel. It served the parish of Wołtuszowa until 1784, then Deszno, and was rebuilt in 1820 and 1899, when the tower's izbica was removed and the roof covered with sheet metal. After the Lemko population was resettled in 1946, the Roman Catholic Church used it as a filial church until June 2003.
The church's name refers to the Dormition of the Mother of God, celebrated on 28 August in the Julian calendar. The iconostasis combines baroque carvings from the second half of the 17th century with later baroque work from the early 18th century. A rococo main altar from 1783 holds a painting of the Immaculate Conception, and a folk copy of the miraculous Christ of Kobylanka hangs on the south wall.
The church stands in Bałucianka, reached by minor roads from the Królik Polski area; the last stretch is unpaved and uneven, so sturdy footwear helps. The grounds are enclosed by a low broken-stone wall, with a small cemetery beside the building. The site is a former parish church, so check locally before planning a visit inside.
The oldest royal doors in Poland from the Halician school, dating to the 15th century, come from this church and are now a permanent exhibit at the Folk Architecture Museum in Sanok. The church also kept a candlestick from around 1800, and a folk copy of the miraculous Christ of Kobylanka hangs on the south wall.
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