 It
is obvious that the Catholic churches of Suwałki, Augustów,
and Sejny Regions are places of worship for their congregations.
At the same time their architecture is an important element
of this region's cultural landscape. The same is true for roadside
shrines, wooden and stone crosses and cemeteries.  Most
churches in Suwałki Region are built of brick. Those built in
the 19th century represent the classicist style typical of that
period. Good examples are St. Alexander's church in Suwałki,
the church of the Holy Trinity in Raczki, the church of the
Transfiguration in Krasnopol, or the church in Raczki. A lot
of various church buildings in this region were built at the
beginning of the 20th century. Some of them are not in any style,
but most of them represent Neo-Gothic.  These
are the churches in Lipsk, Janówka, Rajgród, Sztabin, Puńsk,
and the church of the Holy Heart of Jesus in Augustów. In Becejły,
Smolany, Kaletnik, or Przerośl there are a few more modern churches,
which except for nice shapes do not have elements of any specific
architectural style. Brick churches erected in the last quarter
of the 20th century are modern, without any reference to tradition.
Such churches can be found in Smolniki, Rutka-Tartak, Płociczno
and Kolnica near Studzieniczna. However, they are wooden churches
that determine the specific, individual style of this region's
architecture. They seem to have been built in the same way as
old churches in Lithuania, part of which Suwałki Region used
to be.
The charm, climate and beauty of those buildings are intensified
with their interiors strongly connected with folklore and tradition.
Very often they were bedecked with deer or elk antlers. To fully
appreciate them one must see both the oldest and more recent
churches in Jaminy (the end of the 18th c.), Berżniki (1819),
Studzieniczna (1847), Mikaszówka (1907), Monkinie (1924) and
Podżyliny (1926).
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Sacral
architecture
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info
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While
exploring Suwałki Region one should pay attention to its sacral
architecture and interiors of churches. Many of them are valuable
monuments of the past centuries. It is not difficult to reach places
where they are situated. Maps available in bookshops will help to
find subsequent towns and roads leading to them.
Monumental
wooden churches of Suwałki Region
Berżniki
- a parish church from 1819 . The parish: tel. 516 28 08
Giby - a parish church from 1912 . (previously - an Orthodox
church of Old-Believers in Pogorzelec).The parish: tel. 516 50 74
Jaminy - a parish church from the end of the 18th century.
The parish: tel. 641 30 16
Jeleniewo - a parish church from 1878. The parish: tel. 568
30 94
Mikaszówka - a parish church from 1907. The parish: tel.
641 76 07
Monkinie - a parish church from 1924. The parish: tel. 641
00 11
Pawłówka - a parish church from the beginning of the 20th
century. The parish: tel. 569 17 94
Podżyliny - a parish church from 1926.
For
all these churches, there are still a few more monuments of sacral
architecture in Suwałki Region, like the Orthodox church in the
Orthodox cemetery in Suwałki from the beginning of the 20th century,
the Orthodox church of Old-Believers in Sejneńska street in Suwałki
from 1909, the Orthodox church of Old-Believers in the village of
Wodziłki from 1921.
Monumental
brick churches in Suwałki Region
Filipów
- a parish church from 1841. The parish: tel.569 60 97
Karolin - a parish church from 1851. The parish: tel.516
54 07
Krasnopol - a parish church from 1862. The parish: tel. 516
40 56
Puńsk - a parish church from 1881. The parish: tel. 516 11
02
Raczki - a parish church from 1823. The parish: tel. 568
51 22
Suwałki - St. Alexander's parish church from 1829. The parish:
tel. 566 27 52
Suwałki - a chapel at the Catholic cemetery from 1854
Wigry - a parish church (previously of the Cameldolite monks
from the 18th century). The parish: tel. 563 70 16
Wiżajny - a parish church from 1825. The parish: tel. 568
81 54
Moreover,
in Suwałki, there are two brick Orthodox churches which were rebuilt
into Roman Catholic churches: the parish church of The Holy Heart
of Jesus in Mickiewicza street and of St. Peter and St. Paul in
Wojska Polskiego street. Another monument is the Evangelical-Augsburg
church from 1841 in Kościuszki street (tel. 566 45 49).
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