Kostomłoty, Lublin Voivodeship
Encyclopedia
Kostomłoty k is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kodeń
, within Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship
, in eastern Poland
, close to the border with Belarus
. The village has a population of 760.
Kostomłoty is located 14 km south of Terespol
on the border with Belarus at 51°58′32"N 23°39′29"E.
First written mention of the settlement comes from 1412 when the village was offered to the Augustinian Order from nearby Brest
by the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas. During 16th century it the Order sold it to the Sapieha noble family from nearby Kodeń
.
In 1631 the Eastern Rite parish of St. Nicetas the Martyr was established, which accepted the Union of Brest
of 1596 at some time during the 17th century, thus restoring communion the successor of St. Peter
. Following the Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
the village first fall under Austrian rule and later became a part of the semiautonomous so-called Congress Poland
which saved the parish from the first waves of repressions against the Ruthenian (Belarusian and Ukrainian) Greek-Catholic Church until the brutal liquidation of the Eparchy of Kholm by the Russian Empire
in 1875.
Following the establishing of the Second Polish Republic
in 1918, the parish in Kostomłoty, along with a number of other parishes (over 40 by 1939), returned into the Union in 1927, however maintaining a distinct Byzantine-Slavonic Rite, different from the Byzantine-Ukrainian Rite which has developed in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
that survived under Austrian rule in the region of Galicia. After the Soviet victory in World War II
most of those parishes were forcibly closed, only a few which were located in the People's Republic of Poland
, rather than the Belarusian and Ukrainian SSR
directly controlled by Moscow, could survive. Due to the changing demographics those parishes were faced with a lack of Eastern Rite faithful in the 1960s and most have adopted the Latin Rite which has left the church in Kostomłoty the only Byzantine-Slavonic Rite parish in Poland and the entire region.
Since 1969 the parish is under the care of the Marian Order. On 12 July 1998 relics of the Blessed Martyrs of Podlachia, who were murdered by Russian soldiers when praying outside a church confiscated by the tsarist regime in nearby Pratulin
, were transferred here and the parish was named the Shrine of the Martyrs of Podlachia.
Gmina Koden
Gmina Kodeń is a rural gmina in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland, on the border with Belarus...
, within Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship
Lublin Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Lublin Voivodeship is divided into 24 counties : 4 city counties and 20 land counties. These are further divided into 213 gminas....
, in eastern Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, close to the border with Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. The village has a population of 760.
Kostomłoty is located 14 km south of Terespol
Terespol
Terespol is a town in eastern Poland on the border with Belarus. It lies on the border river Bug, directly opposite the city of Brest, Belarus...
on the border with Belarus at 51°58′32"N 23°39′29"E.
First written mention of the settlement comes from 1412 when the village was offered to the Augustinian Order from nearby Brest
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
by the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas. During 16th century it the Order sold it to the Sapieha noble family from nearby Kodeń
Koden
Kodeń is a village and the site of a famous Marian shrine in eastern Poland, on the Bug River which forms the border between Poland and Belarus. Administratively, it belongs to Biała Podlaska County in Lublin Voivodeship. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Kodeń. It has about 1,900...
.
In 1631 the Eastern Rite parish of St. Nicetas the Martyr was established, which accepted the Union of Brest
Union of Brest
Union of Brest or Union of Brześć refers to the 1595-1596 decision of the Church of Rus', the "Metropolia of Kiev-Halych and all Rus'", to break relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople and place themselves under the Pope of Rome. At the time, this church included most Ukrainians and...
of 1596 at some time during the 17th century, thus restoring communion the successor of St. Peter
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. Following the Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
the village first fall under Austrian rule and later became a part of the semiautonomous so-called Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
which saved the parish from the first waves of repressions against the Ruthenian (Belarusian and Ukrainian) Greek-Catholic Church until the brutal liquidation of the Eparchy of Kholm by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1875.
Following the establishing of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
in 1918, the parish in Kostomłoty, along with a number of other parishes (over 40 by 1939), returned into the Union in 1927, however maintaining a distinct Byzantine-Slavonic Rite, different from the Byzantine-Ukrainian Rite which has developed in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , Ukrainska Hreko-Katolytska Tserkva), is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with the Holy See, and is directly subject to the Pope...
that survived under Austrian rule in the region of Galicia. After the Soviet victory in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
most of those parishes were forcibly closed, only a few which were located in the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, rather than the Belarusian and Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
directly controlled by Moscow, could survive. Due to the changing demographics those parishes were faced with a lack of Eastern Rite faithful in the 1960s and most have adopted the Latin Rite which has left the church in Kostomłoty the only Byzantine-Slavonic Rite parish in Poland and the entire region.
Since 1969 the parish is under the care of the Marian Order. On 12 July 1998 relics of the Blessed Martyrs of Podlachia, who were murdered by Russian soldiers when praying outside a church confiscated by the tsarist regime in nearby Pratulin
Pratulin
Pratulin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Rokitno, within Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus....
, were transferred here and the parish was named the Shrine of the Martyrs of Podlachia.