2023-11-12 08:30:00
The fact that the Orthodox Church in Chernavchitsy was built in 1733 was first mentioned in the Orthodox church calendar published by the former Bishop of Brest, vicar of the Lithuanian diocese Joseph (Sokolov) in 1899.
Of course, such a large place as Chernavchitsy could not have not had an Orthodox church earlier. This is confirmed by the Brest historian Valery Moroz in his fundamental study “The Sacred Sacral Memorials of Berastseishchyna.” In his work, he reports on the parish register stored in the National Historical Archive of Belarus in Grodno, according to which the church in Chernavchitsy was founded in 1543. One could celebrate 480 (!) years since the construction of this temple, but it was burned in 1655 during the war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Moscow State. And that ancient church was located in a completely different place than the current one.
The temple in honor of the Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was built in 1733, originally as a Uniate one. From a historical and architectural point of view, the church is one of the few similar monuments of folk wooden architecture with Baroque style preserved in the Brest region; it is included in the List of historical and cultural monuments of Belarus and is subject to state protection.
Over the years, the St. Paraskevinian Church has seen both joys and hardships. After the liquidation of the Uniate Church on the territory of modern Belarus, it was overhauled and on October 8, 1839 it was reconsecrated as Orthodox. Even before this, by decision of the Polotsk Congress of Uniate Bishops, it was decided to place the same iconostasis in Uniate churches as in Orthodox churches. The shrine in Chernavchitsy also acquired a new iconostasis, replacing the ancient one, which was more than a hundred years old.
However, already in 1855, the new clergyman Stefan Pashkevich found the church in a deplorable state, a little later writing that the shrine belonged to the poorest in the Brest district and required major repairs. Thanks to the initiative and energy of the priest, the difficulties were overcome. The Lithuanian Diocesan Gazette reported in 1864: “The shingle (wooden) roof of the church and the tin roof on the bell tower were painted, the dome on the church and the cross were sheathed with new English tin. A new floor made of pine boards has been installed inside the temple. A plank porch has been added. Four new framed doors and new windows were installed. 4 icons were ordered from Moscow for the amount of 66 rubles, two banners – 28 rubles, a gilded silver chalice – 30 rubles. In total, parishioners donated 640 rubles 17 kopecks for repairs.”
The tradition of people’s donation for the temple continued in subsequent years. The same “Lithuanian Diocesan Gazette” reported in 1883 that the Chernavchitsa Church a year earlier received: “From the justice of the peace I.O. Antonovich – a chasuble at 25 rubles, from the peasants of Chernavchitsy: Osip Grigovich a glass case for covering the tabernacle, at 20 rubles, Matvey Plinda – a gospel at 45 rubles, Foma Byshko – an altarpiece with seven candlesticks at 55 rubles, … Money donated by parishioners was written out from the Metachromotinia institution from St. Petersburg the following icons: St. Trinity, 150 rubles, Crucifixion, 100 rubles, Annunciation to the Most Holy. Mother of God in 100 rubles, …All donations received amounted to 1009 rubles. 80 k.”
It must be said that priest Stefan Onufrievich Pashkevich was truly a bright personality, who is worth remembering today. The son of a priest, in 1831 he graduated from a course of science at the main seminary at the Vilna Imperial University with a candidate’s degree in theology. He taught at the theological seminary in Zhirovichi, served in the Khomsk church of the Kobrin deanery, and in 1855 he was assigned to Chernavchitsy. The renovation of the temple he carried out has already been mentioned. According to Valery Moroz, the success of raising funds for repairs was also due to the fact that Stefan Pashkevich used “common” local speech in his sermons. He also had followers, as he reported in 1863 in the Lithuanian Diocesan Gazette in the article “On the need for a village priest to know the local vernacular.”
Energy literally emanated from the Chernavchitsky priest. He even managed to achieve the transfer to the Orthodox of the ancient Holy Trinity Church, erected at the end of the 16th century. True, the question arose about the possible closure of the Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Church, but this did not happen, and the church was subsequently returned to Catholics.
But not only religious matters occupied Stefan Pashkevich. Thus, he founded a temperance society in Chernavchitsy – in the second half of the 19th century, the movement for sobriety had a wide scope. There is no exact data about Chernavchitsy, but the following figures give an idea of the desire of rural residents not to drink too much: in 1859, 140,003 people swore an oath (this happened, as a rule, in Orthodox and Catholic churches) not to drink intoxicating drinks in the Vilna province, 140,003 people in the Vitebsk province, 30 in the Vitebsk province 000, in Grodno (half of the modern Brest region was included in it) – 220,140, in Minsk (it included Western Polesie with the center in Pinsk) – 84 thousand people. And Stefan Pashkevich, who died in 1880 at the 72nd year of his life, in 1853 “received gratitude from the Imperial Geographical Society for climatic information; in 1855, for ethnographic information from the same society, sincere gratitude was declared to him,” in addition to church honors, he was awarded civil bronze cross on Vladimir and medals on St. Andrew’s ribbons. Two of his sons became clergy, one of them, John, succeeded his father in Chernavchitsy, and the third son became a doctor of medicine.
And one more interesting fact from the history of the temple. Born in 1881 in the family of a psalm-reader at the Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Church, Alexey Plakidovich Demyanovich, being a candidate of theology, left the spiritual path and became one of the leaders of the scout movement in Siberia. He became friends with Professor Vitaly Dorogostaisky and helped him in scientific research. As a token of gratitude, the scientist will name one of the species of crustaceans inhabiting Lake Baikal after Demyanovich. Companions were shot in 1938 – A.P. Demyanovich September 10 in Butovo, V.Ch. Dorogostaisky on November 27 in Irkutsk, both were subsequently rehabilitated.
The church in Chernavchitsy required major repairs not only in the middle of the century before last, but also at the end of the last century. In 1986, a fire broke out in the church, the roof, dome, and iconostasis from the 1830s were destroyed, including the icon “The Miracle of St. George on the Serpent,” dated 1729. A year later, the temple, thanks to the efforts of priest Evgeniy Lukashevich, was repaired, only instead of the authentic dome, a high, peaked tent appeared. Father Evgeniy subsequently supervised the construction of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Church on Dubrovka. Among other clergy of Chernavchitsy, the flock was cared for by Vyacheslav Mandrik – archpriest, master of theology, now rector of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov on Plosk, Igor Umets – candidate of theology, under whose leadership the St. Nicholas Garrison Cathedral was revived in the Brest Fortress.
On the same day, November 10, priests and parishioners of churches in honor of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa in the villages of Zbirogi and Sychi of the Brest region, Nikolaevo of the Kamenets region and the agricultural town of Divin of the Kobrin region also celebrated patronal holidays.
Congratulations!
Alexander ZANIN
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