St. Paraskeva Church in Uście Gorlickie

The church in Uście Gorlickie, belonging to the Western Lemko type of sacral architecture, is a tripartite structure with a tower featuring an izbica (a characteristic overhanging chamber), topped with a pseudo-lantern and a cross. Its roofs are tent-shaped, and both the roof over the vestibule and those over the nave and the presbytery are covered with sheet metal. The interior of the church boasts an 18th-century iconostasis and polychrome paintings created after 1938. The icons in the Deesis row, set on carved pedestals with figures of Adam and Eve and a group of prophets, are works of sacred art, while the remaining icon of St. Paraskevi from the first temple is currently housed in the Historical Museum in Sanok. Architecturally, the church is part of the Małopolska Wooden Architecture Route. The history of the church dates back to around 1539, when the first temple was established as an Orthodox parish, which in 1691 adopted the Union of Brest. The new church, built in 1786, became a Greek Catholic church. In 1938, polychrome paintings were added to the church. After Operation "Vistula," the parish was taken over by the Roman Catholic community, but since 1997 the church has been returned to the Greek Catholics. Interestingly, despite changes in administration, Byzantine-Ukrainian services have been held sporadically there since 1956. The church in Uście Gorlickie is not only an architectural gem but also an important element of the regional cultural heritage.