The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Anthony of Padua stands in Milejów — the seat of the gmina in the south of Łęczna County, about 25 km east of Lublin. It is an eclectic mid-19th-century church, a foundation of the Rostworowski counts, to which a new part was added in the 1990s. Inside, many old icons and the founders' crypt are preserved.
The Rostworowski Foundation
The first church in Milejów was the Orthodox Church of Saint Praxedes from the 15th century, which later became Greek Catholic. Catholics attended parishes in Biskupice, Łańcuchów, and Mełgiew. The first to care for their own church in Milejów was Helena Chrapowicka in 1818, who bequeathed 36,000 zlotys for its construction. The Rostworowski counts continued the work, especially Marianna née Jansen Rostworowska, widow of Senator Antoni Meliton Rostworowski. She died of cholera in 1856, so the construction was completed by her son Antoni Ignacy.
The church was built between 1855 and 1859 according to a design by Konstanty Hendiger from Krasnystaw. On October 2, 1859, it was consecrated by the auxiliary bishop of Lublin, Walenty Baranowski. Thousands of people gathered for the ceremony, and a few days later the bishop administered confirmation to 1,650 faithful.
Inside
From the outside, the church is Neo-Romanesque, with the tower combining Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic features. The old part has very good acoustics. In its former main altar — classicist, white with gilding — stands an icon of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Milejów from the 17th–18th centuries. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Rostworowskis brought a copy of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help from Rome for the side chapel.
Among the treasures are a 17th-century wooden sculpture of Saint Anthony, a 15th–16th-century icon of the Transfiguration (the oldest in the church), stained glass windows from 1907, and a copy of a painting by Szymon Czechowicz. The first organ from 1857 was built by the Warsaw firm of Mateusz Melczarski; in 2010–2011, an instrument brought from the Netherlands was installed in its case.
Bells, wars, and the new part
In 1915, the Austrians took the bells "Józef," "Stanisław," and "Antoni" from the bell tower, and during World War II, the Germans removed the new bells. In 1946, parishioners hung the bell "Maria" — a votive offering for surviving the war. Under the old part are the Rostworowski crypts, including that of the last heir of Milejów, Stanisław Kostka Rostworowski. Between 1990 and 1996, the church was expanded, and since 2006 the main altar has stood in the new part.
How to get there
Milejów lies about 10 km south of Łęczna, about a 30-minute drive from Lublin. Nearby are the Lakhert estate in Czekanki and the Vepra valley in the Nadwieprzański Landscape Park, and in Łęczna — the Church of Mary Magdalene and the Great Synagogue. The church is open during services. For Ukrainian citizens, this is Poland: a foreign passport is required.
