Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Kolechowice

The Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian (originally Saints Anthony of the Caves and Martyr Sophia) is an Orthodox filial church in Kolechowice, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. It belongs to the Cathedral Parish of the Transfiguration in Lublin, within the Lublin Deanery of the Diocese of Lublin and Chełm of the Polish Orthodox Church. The Orthodox parish in Kolechowice was established in the 14th century. The church was built in 1902 on the grave of Zofia Dudzińska, the wife of the long-serving parson, Father Antoni Dudziński, who also financed the construction of the building. The church's original patrons were the namesakes of the Dudzińskis. At the time of its construction, the cemetery church was a filial church to the local parish church, built in 1883. Following the destruction of the parish church during the revindication and Polonization campaign, the cemetery chapel assumed the dedication and functions of the destroyed temple, also receiving its salvaged furnishings. The church in Kolechowice was closed after World War II following the resettlement of the Ukrainian Orthodox population. Since then, due to the almost complete absence of local faithful, services have been held occasionally by clergy from Włodawa or Lublin. The church is located within the Orthodox cemetery, 300 meters west of the main road running through the village.

The earliest mention of an Orthodox pastoral center in Kolechowice (historically referred to as Kolochowice) dates back to the 13th century, while the oldest reference to the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian comes from 1531. However, it is generally accepted that the parish operated from the 14th century and was part of the Lublin Deanery (protopope jurisdiction). This church survived until the Tatar invasion in 1668, during which it was completely destroyed. A new church was built in 1696. Although situated within the territory of the Eparchy of Chełm–Belz, it retained the Orthodox faith due to a privilege granted by King John III Sobieski. The church's benefactor was Jan Karol Daniłowicz (or Danielewicz), the starosta of Parczew. By the 18th century, the Kolechowice church had deteriorate

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).