GPM 0802 SMOLNIK - Cerkiew Św. MICHAŁA ARCHANIOŁA

St. Michael the Archangel in Smolnik (Podkarpackie Province) dates back to the mid-sixteenth century. However, the first building, about which we do not have many sources, was destroyed and a new church was built in its place in 1602. However, this temple was also lost, probably destroyed by the Tatars in 1672. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the third church is being built, with a slightly changed location. However, only the fourth building in a row, completed in 1791, has survived to our times. Importantly, however, all equipment from the previous temple was moved to the new church. It underwent the first major renovation only in 1921, but after World War II, due to the displacement of the local population, the building deteriorated and only in 1969 was it entered into the register of monuments. However, a general renovation was carried out only in the years 2004-2005, and in 2009 restoration works on the polychrome began. Since 1974, the church serves as a branch church of the Roman Catholic parish. It is one of the most valuable objects of this type in Poland, and in 2013 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.