Current Watch Site

The late 16th century Greek Catholic Church of St. Paraskewa is constructed of hewn logs laid horizontally, clad with wooden shingles, and capped with a steeply pitched roof. Made possible by the abundance of high-quality timber in thickly forested regions, these rural wooden churches are widely recognized as important features of Eastern European built heritage, and St. Paraskewa is among the oldest surviving examples. The complex includes the church, its timber bell tower, the stone house of the diak (cantor), an ancient arbor, and an old Ukrainian cemetery, all enclosed by a surrounding stone wall. The compact site served defensive purposes too: the church was frequently used as a refuge by the local population against Tartar attacks in the seventeenth century. There are still visible traces of the marks caused by Tartar axes and sabers.

Following World War II, the borders between Poland and Ukraine changed and the Church of St. Paraskewa lost its community and passed into the custody of the Polish state. The church was vacated, but it received landmark protection and was restored in the early 1960s. Visitors today often find the church closed and frequently trespass in their zeal to get close to this monument. The church is in need of renewed stewardship and interpretation. In particular, protective measures against fire and theft would allow valuable treasures such as sacred icons to be returned from a nearby museum, where they are currently stored. The church, along with seven others, is part of a 2010 serial nomination to the Tentative World Heritage List for Poland.

Download a 2012 Watch poster of this site (see download instructions).

IN THE MEDIA

• Światowe wyróżnienie greckokatolickiej świątyni
  Rzeczpospolita, October 24, 2011