Święta Góra Grabarka w Polsce
The Holy Mountain of Grabarka in Poland

Summary/Abstract: The Holy Mountain Grabarka, located in the Podlasie region, near the town Siemiatycze, is one of the most important places of the Orthodox Church in Poland. The beginnings of Grabarka as a place of worship are not well known. In the consciousness of the Orthodox, they date back to old times of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when the Eastern rite increasingly began to spread in these areas. Holy Mountain of Grabarka and its miraculous power was occurred in the early eighteenth century, when the local population was decimated by cholera epidemic. The events that took then place are still in the tradition of an exceptional nature are transmitted through oral and written traditions from generation to generation. For centuries there has been only a small chapel visited by the faithful of different religions. The fame of Grabarka grew up after 1947, the monastery of St. St. Mary and Martha was found with the consent of the Orthodox Archbishop Timothy. The founder of this monastery was the nun Maria (Komstadius, home Niekludow Sofia), the daughter of a Russian aristocrat related to the court of Tsar Nicholas II highly educated and religious. Nowadays, it is one of the most important Orthodox monastic sites in Poland, bringing together the faithful throughout the year. After the fall of communism in the 80s of the twentieth century, the spiritual life was widely revived here with the long tradition of pilgrimages to this place. The biggest celebrations are celebrated here on 19 of August, during the Feast of the Transfiguration, when thousands of pilgrims come from not only different areas of Poland, but also from various regions of the Orthodox world. It is worth mentioning that in the consciousness of the Orthodox position is particularly associated with the sign of the crosses and spiritual Passover. The faithful arrive at Grabarka holding in the hands votive crosses made by themselves.

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