We are saving the catacombs. Four universities and the Monastery together want to protect a unique, on a Polish scale, 16th century monument.

01-03-2022

Three universities from Białystok, the Supraśl Monastery and the Christian Academy of Theology have decided on a huge undertaking, which is saving and protecting the historic catacombs located near the Supraśl Monastery,’ says Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology.

Several dozen years after the monks settled in Supraśl, somewhere between 1532 and 1557, south of the monastery buildings, a church of the Resurrection of Christ was erected from Prussian brickwork, and beneath it – spacious catacombs, almost two hundred burial niches, were built.

– This is the burial place of the elite of the Polish Nobility, stresses Assoc. Prof. Maciej Karczewski, PhD from the Faculty of History and International Relations of the University of Bialystok. – Here have lied and still lie the remains of truly eminent figures: Aleksander Chodkiewicz’s mother, Aleksander Chodkiewicz himself, other representatives of the Chodkiewicz family, but we also have the Czartoryskis, the Sanguszkos and the Sapiehas families next to the Chodkiewiczs. There are the Siemaszkos, the Słuckis, the Tyszkiewiczs, the Massalskis, the Olelkowiczs, the Wiśniowieckis. These are names we all know from primary and secondary school history lessons. The remains of these people, together with the monks of the monastery, were buried in these catacombs.

In the first decades of the 19th century the Resurrection Church, which was in ruins, was demolished for safety reasons. The catacombs were covered over, but in the mid-1980s they were uncovered for archaeological work. The catacombs, exposed and poorly secured – were left to their fate. They easily fell prey to the curious, unable to respect the majesty of death, and ordinary vandals.

– For a long time we have been trying to take care of our centuries-old heritage – says Andrzej Borkowski, PhD, Bishop of Supraśl, Archimandrite of the Monastery of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Supraśl. – The work was started by archaeological teams, making a description of these catacombs. Later, the catacombs fell into ruins. In recent years, together with the brothers of the Monastery, together with volunteers, under archaeological care, we have cleaned the catacombs. They were secured so that their devastation would not continue. The next stage belongs to specialists, so we cannot interfere with the historic structure of the catacombs, which are not visible from the outside.

The archimandrite of the Monastery of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Supraśl is aware of the seriousness of the situation.

– It’s a place of horror, Bishop Andrzej worries. – Year by year the catacombs are crumbling, ceasing to exist and this is probably the last moment when we can together, with the help of Bialystok University of Technology and our universities, i.e. the academic staff, undertake such rescue tasks so as to stop the devastation at least.

That is why scientists from Białystok universities took part in an on-site visit to the Supraśl catacombs.

– Letting research teams in to the catacombs is connected with ensuring safety and this is where one has to start – recalls Assoc. Prof. Janusz Krentowski, DSc, PhD, Eng from the Department of Geotechnics and Structural Mechanics of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences of Bialystok University of Technology. – Fragments of bricks are so detached, so damaged that it may be a threat to safety. There is no vault – the most dangerous part, which could fall on workers, but the fragments of bricks are so damaged, especially in the supporting elements, that they should be secured.

Scientists and the archimandrite are unanimous – time is of the essence when saving the catacombs.

– The catacombs are now at the last moment when they can still be secured, preserved and made available to the community of the region, but also to tourists – this is a very important element of Poland’s cultural heritage – emphasises Assoc. Prof. Maciej Karczewski, PhD. – We use the joint forces of our universities, because this really requires the involvement of a whole range of specialists from archaeologists, historians through architects, material scientists, physical anthropologists, chemists, biologists. Our goal is to prepare documentation and guidelines so that in the next stage we can apply to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for funds to secure the catacomb as a permanent ruin.

An expert from Bialystok University of Technology, who was present at the site inspection, wonders how such protection would fit in the landscape of the surroundings of the monastery and the whole Supraśl.

– It is a very valuable object from the point of view of this place, the monastery and the town in general – assesses Tomasz Rogala MSc, Arch. from the Department of Architectural Design of Bialystok University of Technology. – I think of this place as a certain whole – a complement to the monastery, but also to the surroundings which is around these relics. A very important role will be to determine how to make the catacombs accessible and how to use them. Is it to be only a new tourist attraction in Supraśl, or is it also to have an ecumenical function. At the very beginning it is important to work out a certain formula of making this place available and its context. Are we going to try to relate to the gardens of the Basilians, which used to be in this place, or are we going for an even older period, when there was a cemetery here. These are important questions that will provide answers about the possibility of making this site accessible.

Everyone agrees to emphasise not only the historical, but also the spiritual dimension of this unique monument.

That is why scientists from Białystok universities participated in the local inspection of the Supraśl catacombs.

– We do not have many examples in our country of this type of burials which partly refer to the Eastern tradition, to the Byzantine tradition with which the Monastery maintained extensive contacts already from the 16th century – recalls Bishop Andrzej of Supraśl. – It is an element of our common tradition, common cultural and spiritual heritage. It is a place of prayer where the remains of our ancestors rest, therefore we should pay special attention to this place.

An expert from Bialystok University of Technology, not only for safety reasons, recommends restraint in opening the catacombs to visitors.

– It seems to me that the whole catacombs should not be made available for sightseeing – says Assoc. Prof. Janusz Krentowski, DSc, PhD, Eng. – It is enough to leave elements as a witness to history. A certain fragment of the catacombs may be made available for sightseeing, because we do not have to enter and see several dozens of the same niches. If we see a few, potentially touch this brick, we find ourselves in this environment. We close our eyes and imagine what was here a few hundred years ago. Most of the catacombs, in my opinion, should be designated for research – archaeological first, and then we can conduct architectural and construction research, think about how it should look like.

The rescued catacombs may become another showpiece of the Podlasie region.

– Proper protection and exposition of this object will also serve our region well – thinks Bishop Andrzej.

Bialystok University of Technology, the Medical University of Bialystok, the University of Bialystok and the Christian Theological Academy in Warsaw will cooperate with the Monastery in saving the Supraśl catacombs.

(jd)