Church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist in Szczyty-Dzięciołowo

The Church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist in Szczyty-Dzięciołowo is an Orthodox church that was originally built in the 18th century as a Uniate church. It was founded by Jan Walenty Węgierski, a chamberlain at the court of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. Construction began in 1785, and the church was consecrated in October of the same year. The architectural style of the church is Baroque, built from larch wood on an octagonal plan, with a characteristic roof covered with red tiles and a single wooden dome. The exterior walls are painted blue, and the building features a masonry porch with round windows and a shingled roof. Interestingly, the church has retained its original appearance since the 18th century. Inside, there is a patron icon and an iconostasis built in 1885, as well as other icons, mostly from the 19th century. The history of the church is rich, encompassing both the Uniate period and its later transformation into Orthodoxy. After 1839, the parish came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, and between 1915 and 1945, the number of parishioners significantly decreased due to the bieżeństwo (mass exodus). After World War II, the church witnessed many changes, including internal conflicts, but it managed to preserve its activity and rich interior. In 2005, on the occasion of the parish's 220th anniversary, the church was enriched with new bells, and its interior was modernized. The church and the bell tower, built in 1849, were entered into the register of monuments in 1951, highlighting their cultural and historical significance in the Podlasie region.