The Church of Saint John the Almsgiver in Orchówek is a Baroque church of the former Augustinian monastery on a high bank of the Bug, 3 km southeast of the center of Włodawa. Today, it is the sanctuary of Our Lady of Consolation, where pilgrims come from all over the Włodawa region. Across the Bug is Belarus, and nearby converge the borders of three states: Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine.
Town and Monastery
Orchówek, formerly Orchów, received town rights in 1506 and lost them several times, last in 1869. The parish was founded here in 1507. In 1610, the town's owner, Mikołaj Iwicki, together with his wife Zofia née Krupska, invited Augustinian monks to Orchów and presented them with an icon of the Mother of God, which is still considered miraculous. A stone tablet in the church commemorates the foundation.
The present brick church was built in 1770–1777 according to the design of Paolo Antonio Fontana — the same architect who designed the Church of Saint Louis in Włodawa. It was built by the stonemason Grzegorz Cybulski, and on July 23, 1780, the church was consecrated by the Chełm auxiliary bishop Melchior Jan Kochnowski. The decoration was finally completed in 1846–1848 at the expense of parishioners and August Zamoyski.
From Church to Orthodox Church and Back
After the January Uprising, in 1864, the Russian authorities liquidated the Augustinian monastery and the Catholic parish, and turned the church into an Orthodox church. Catholics returned the church after the First World War; in 1925 it was consecrated again, and in 1931 the parish was restored. Since 1947 it has been tended by Capuchin monks.
The image of Our Lady of Consolation was painted in the late 16th or early 17th century. On September 2, 1990, it was solemnly crowned by the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Józef Kowalczyk together with Siedlce Bishop Jan Mazur and the General of the Capuchin Order. Since then, the church has held the status of a diocesan sanctuary. The organ here is not local: it was brought from western Poland and installed in 1948, and in 1976–1981 it was expanded from 5 to 12 voices.
From the hill near the church opens a view of the Bug valley. Near the Włodawa station in Orchówek, the railway breaks off near the remains of the bridge across the Bug, destroyed by German aviation in September 1939.
How to Get There
Orchówek has actually grown together with Włodawa: from the market square to the church at 65 Nadbużańska Street is about 3 km. This is the terminal station of the Chełm — Włodawa railway, where a seasonal train runs in summer. For Ukrainians, this is Poland, a foreign passport is needed. Near the Bug on the border with Belarus, border regulations are in effect, so do not enter restricted areas. Nearby are the Church of Saint Louis and the Włodawa Synagogues, to the south are Lake Białe in Okuninka and Sobibór. More broadly about the region in the article Polish Polissia.
