Orthodox church of Saint John the Evangelist in Chełm

About

The St. John the Evangelist Church is an Orthodox church serving as both a co-cathedral and parish church in Chełm, Poland. It belongs to the Chełm Deanery of the Diocese of Lublin and Chełm within the Polish Orthodox Church. It is the only active Orthodox church in Chełm.

Built between 1846 and 1852 with funds from the Russian government as a military church, it became a parish church in 1864 due to the growing Orthodox population of Russian officials and soldiers. After Poland regained independence, it was the only church in Chełm neither reclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church nor demolished. In 1928, it was granted the honorary status of a cathedral. The building reflects an eclectic style, blending classicism with the official Russian Revival style. It accommodates between 350 and 400 worshippers and is located at the intersection of Jadwiga Młodowska, Mikołaj Kopernik, and Henryk Sienkiewicz streets. It was listed, along with its bell tower, in the register of historic monuments on 13 February 1967 under number A/193.

Orthodoxy is an autochthonous faith in Chełm. The first Orthodox churches may have existed in present-day Chełm as early as 1001. From 1246, Chełm was the seat of the Orthodox Eparchy. In 1596, Bishop Dionysius Zbyruyskyy accepted the Union of Brest, converting the Orthodox eparchy into the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Chełm–Belz. Chełm's Orthodox initially resisted, but all parishes except the St. Onuphrius Monastery in Jabłeczna eventually adopted the union. Orthodox faithful reappeared in Chełm after its incorporation into Russia during the partitions of Poland.

The church was built from 1846 to 1852 at the expense of the Russian state as a military church. The Church Construction Committee, including Chełm mayor Leon Karpiński, began work on 25 July 1846, with Jan Lasota as construction supervisor. The cornerstone was laid on 9 June 1846. Funding came from the church-building fund under the Main Commission of Internal and Spiritual Affairs. The initial cost was estimated at 126,518 PLN, later reduced to 107 PLN for construction, with an additional 89 PLN for furnishings, including 14 for the iconostasis.

The design was by Ludwik Radziszewski. Contributors included Wincenty Łańcucki (main construction), Karol Kubik (carpentry), and Herszek Wajsblach and Herszek Blachman (metalwork). Wall paintings were by Bonawentura Dąbrowski [ pl ]. The iconostasis was commissioned from Warsaw artist Fryderyk Blickle, completed by his wife after his death. Core construction finished in 1849, with finishing work and the freestanding bell tower completed over the next few years. The church was dedicated on 13 June 1852 by Russian military chaplain Protopriest Pogonialov. It accommodates between 350 and 400 worshippers.

Initially a military parish church, it was served by chaplains from various Russian army units without a permanent rector. Chaplain Pogonialov was notably responsible for its upkeep. During periods without troops, such as the January Uprising, services ceased. Chełm had few Orthodox residents then, mostly Greek Catholics. The church's proximity to the Greek Catholic cathedral signaled Tsarist intentions toward Eastern Catholics, hoping its appearance and rich furnishings would attract them to Orthodoxy.

By the 1860s, the building's condition necessitated a major renovation due to its location in a depression where water from nearby hills caused wall cracks and floor rot. From 1864 to 1867, the floor was replaced, cracks repaired, the pulpit removed (its canopy relocated to the chancel ), and north and south facade windows enlarged, eliminating original side entrances. The growing Orthodox population prompted its conversion to a civilian parish under the Eparchy of Warsaw and Novogeorgievsk in 1864, leading to the construction of a parish house nearby. Jakow Kraszanowski was appointed the first rector in 1864.

On an uncertain date in 1866, Mykhailo Hrushevsky was baptized in the church or its rectory.

After Poland's independence, Chełm's Orthodox community lost nearly all its churches. Former Catholic or Greek Catholic churches repurposed as Orthodox were reclaimed by the Latin Church, while three purpose-built Orthodox churches (Saints Cyril and Methodius Church, Saints Alexius, Peter, Jonah, and Philip Church, and the unfinished Saint Paraskeva Church) were demolished. St. John the Evangelist Church remained the sole Orthodox church in use. It housed a copy of the Chełm Icon of the Mother of God (the original was taken to Russia during the mass exile) and hosted its annual celebrations.

On 19 May 1928, Metropolitan of Warsaw and all Poland Dionysius Waledyński designated it a co-cathedral, symbolically honoring Chełm's history as an Orthodox eparchy seat (the Moscow Patriarchate's Chełm Eparchy was dissolved by Polish authorities in 1923).

In 1936, the parish had 5,000 members, plus many Orthodox soldiers and 900 students. The church's size proved inadequate, prompting expansion plans. Efforts began in 1936, with a design approved in 1937 by the metropolitan and Lublin voivode. On 5 June 1938, the cornerstone was laid and foundations poured, but World War II halted progress. Post-war attempts to resume failed, and its 1967 heritage listing precluded further expansion. It was renovated in 1949, and in 1961, the unused foundations were repurposed for a new fence.

A fire broke out in 1988 but was contained.

Renovations occurred in 1990, with the iconostasis conserved from 1991 to 1993. Since 1999, the church has been illuminated. In 2011, EU funds supported another renovation, begun in 2003 due to structural issues from its marshy site.

On 21 September 2021, a copy of the Chełm Icon of the Mother of God, painted on Mount Athos with a relic of the Virgin's Holy Belt, was installed.

Orthodoxy is an autochthonous faith in Chełm. The first Orthodox churches may have existed in present-day Chełm as early as 1001. From 1246, Chełm was the seat of the Orthodox Eparchy. In 1596, Bishop Dionysius Zbyruyskyy accepted the Union of Brest, converting the Orthodox eparchy into the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Chełm–Belz. Chełm's Orthodox initially resisted, but all parishes except the St. Onuphrius Monastery in Jabłeczna eventually adopted the union. Orthodox faithful reappeared in Chełm after its incorporation into Russia during the partitions of Poland.

The church was built from 1846 to 1852 at the expense of the Russian state as a military church. The Church Construction Committee, including Chełm mayor Leon Karpiński, began work on 25 July 1846, with Jan Lasota as construction supervisor. The cornerstone was laid on 9 June 1846. Funding came from the church-building fund under the Main Commission of Internal and Spiritual Affairs. The initial cost was estimated at 126,518 PLN, later reduced to 107 PLN for construction, with an additional 89 PLN for furnishings, including 14 for the iconostasis.

The design was by Ludwik Radziszewski. Contributors included Wincenty Łańcucki (main construction), Karol Kubik (carpentry), and Herszek Wajsblach and Herszek Blachman (metalwork). Wall paintings were by Bonawentura Dąbrowski [ pl ]. The iconostasis was commissioned from Warsaw artist Fryderyk Blickle, completed by his wife after his death. Core construction finished in 1849, with finishing work and the freestanding bell tower completed over the next few years. The church was dedicated on 13 June 1852 by Russian military chaplain Protopriest Pogonialov. It accommodates between 350 and 400 worshippers.

Initially a military parish church, it was served by chaplains from various Russian army units without a permanent rector. Chaplain Pogonialov was notably responsible for its upkeep. During periods without troops, such as the January Uprising, services ceased. Chełm had few Orthodox residents then, mostly Greek Catholics. The church's proximity to the Greek Catholic cathedral signaled Tsarist intentions toward Eastern Catholics, hoping its appearance and rich furnishings would attract them to Orthodoxy.

By the 1860s, the building's condition necessitated a major renovation due to its location in a depression where water from nearby hills caused wall cracks and floor rot. From 1864 to 1867, the floor was replaced, cracks repaired, the pulpit removed (its canopy relocated to the chancel ), and north and south facade windows enlarged, eliminating original side entrances. The growing Orthodox population prompted its conversion to a civilian parish under the Eparchy of Warsaw and Novogeorgievsk in 1864, leading to the construction of a parish house nearby. Jakow Kraszanowski was appointed the first rector in 1864.

On an uncertain date in 1866, Mykhailo Hrushevsky was baptized in the church or its rectory.