St. Michael the Archangel Church in Witulin

The Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Witulin is a historic wooden structure with a rich history. The first church was built in 1573, and after the Union of Brest in 1596, it became part of the Uniate Church. Over the following years, the temple was repeatedly destroyed, including by Cossack forces. A new church was built in 1666, and another was erected in 1741, which, after the liquidation of the Uniate Chełm Diocese, was converted into an Orthodox church. After 1905, as a result of the Tolerance Edict, the majority of the faithful converted to Catholicism, but efforts to return the church to the Catholic Church were not successful until its reclamation in 1919. The church now serves as a parish church, and its history is a testament to the complex religious transformations in the region. The architecture of the temple is typical of wooden religious buildings in Poland: it is single-naved, oriented, with a brick foundation and a rectangular layout. The interior is adorned with paintings from the Uniate period, including an 18th-century Crucifixion and an icon of Christ Pantocrator. Also noteworthy are elements of the furnishings, such as 18th-century angel sculptures, a Neo-Rococo monstrance, and a Neo-Baroque altar cross. The church also features modern elements, such as an organ from 1919, purchased from the monastery in Leśna Podlaska. It is worth noting that the church's bell tower has a post-and-frame structure and stands independently. One of the priests associated with the Orthodox church in Witulin was Fr. Lev Pajewski, a well-known clergyman and regionalist, which highlights the local significance of this place. The Church of St. Michael the Archangel is not only a valuable monument but also a witness to the dynamic social and cultural changes that have shaped the region over the centuries.