Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Narew

The history of the Orthodox parish in Narew dates back to the early 16th century. The first preserved description of the church dates back to 1772. According to Klirovoi Vedomosti from 1846, the church and rectory were built on one square, and the number of believers in the parish was 2,244 people living in 282 houses. In 1847, the number of believers was already 2,284 people, and the parish church was located in the Bielsk deanery of the Lithuanian-Vilnius diocese. In 1882, construction began on a new wooden church, which was consecrated on May 9, 1885. This temple is still the parish church in Narew. In 1901, the church in Narew was included in the Grodno diocese, and the number of parishioners in 1905 was 3,098 people. In 1913, a stone fence with an entrance gate was erected around the parish church. A severe blow to the parish was the mysterious death of the parish priest, Fr. Prot. Piotr Popławski, who had held this position since 1968. The next tragedy befell the Narew parish on April 12, 1990, on Holy Thursday. During the reading of the 12th Gospel, a fire broke out, which consumed the entire interior of the church. The faithful gathered in the church tried to save what they could from the flames, but most of the church's equipment burned down. One of the parishioners gave his life saving the zaprestolnyj cross, which he had not managed to carry out. The reconstruction of the destroyed church was led by the then parish priest Fr. Teodor Weremiejuk, and then, from 1991, by the new parish priest Fr. Mitrat Bazyli Roszczenko together with the parishioners. They renovated the church in a joint effort, restored the entire interior of the temple, including a new iconostasis and new icons. On September 25, 1994, the renovated church was consecrated by His Excellency Metropolitan Basil. In the same year, a special stylized well for blessing water was built within the parish church. In 2020, the parish church in Narew was thoroughly restored as part of the project "East Slavic cultural heritage - conservation, renovation and digitalization of wooden churches and their furnishings in Małopolska, Podkarpacie, Lublin and Podlasie", which was implemented by the Orthodox Diocese of Lublin-Chełm.
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