Horbów has a clear focus in terms of cultural history: the present-day church is at the centre of a datable architectural and church history, complemented by a cemetery, a historic burial and a chapel that provide further local connections. For planning your trip, this offers a chronological perspective that distinguishes between several periods and different church events.
Church: Architecture and Church History
The present-day church in Horbów was built as an Orthodox church between 1904 and 1908. It stands on the site of an earlier Uniate church. This brings together two periods of construction at one location: the earlier Uniate church and the construction of the present-day building. The years 1904 to 1908 date the construction of the present-day church.
On 17 August 1908, Eulogiusz, the Orthodox Bishop of Chełm, consecrated the church. Two dates in 1923 are important for what followed. On 26 June, the Ministry of Religious Denominations and Public Education approved the transfer of the former Orthodox church to the Catholics. On 23 September, the church was consecrated and given the canonical title “Przemienienia Pańskiego”, meaning “Transfiguration of the Lord” in English.
The June and September dates mark different steps: the transfer was approved in June, while the consecration and canonical title are associated with September. When placing Horbów’s church history in chronological context, you can thus distinguish the approval of the transfer from the later consecration.
Cemetery and Earlier Burial
Horbów has a First World War-era cemetery on the road to the church. A much earlier connection is the burial of Stanisław Borkowski: the 24-year-old had been killed in combat and was buried on 23 December 1794 in the old cemetery in Horbów. This burial belongs to a different period from the First World War-era cemetery and adds a specific personal story to the history of the place. The two periods can therefore be distinguished chronologically without combining them into a single historical event.
The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception of Mary
Another church-related date is the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. It was built in 1934 to mark the parish’s tenth anniversary. It is located at the bend in the road from Horbów to the church. On 13 May 1934, Bishop Czesław Sokołowski solemnly consecrated the chapel. The year of construction, the occasion and the consecration date are all connected to the parish anniversary; the chapel thus adds its own church-related dimension to the architectural history of the church.
For a stay focused on cultural history, it is worth taking a two-part view: the dates from 1904 to 1923 trace the architectural and church history of the present-day church; the chapel refers to the parish anniversary in 1934. The 1794 burial and the First World War-era cemetery add further historical periods to this perspective. This lets you choose Horbów based on the historical theme that interests you most: church architecture, changes in church life or local history.
Discover more destinations: Janów Podlaski, Woskrzenice Małe, Biała Podlaska, Małaszewicze Duże, Grabanów, Bubel-Łukowiska, Cieleśnica, Rokitno.
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