The Orthodox Feast of the Transfiguration on the Holy Mount of Grabarka in eastern Poland

The Orthodox Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated on the Holy Mount of Grabarka in eastern Poland on August 18 and 19. It is the most important ceremony in this church sanctuary, gathering thousands of believers every year. The Holy Mount of Grabarka is also called the Hill of Crosses. There are many examples of votive crosses of various sizes brought here by the faithful for different intentions. It is estimated that they now number over 10,000. They believe that the Savior’s transfiguration is the source of inexhaustible transforming power that transforms all creation and all beings.

Grabarka has been a centre of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians from Poland and other countries since the 18th century. Celebrations in honor of the Lord’s Transfiguration on the Holy Mount of Grabarka have been taking place since last Wednesday. The Siemiatycze Police assume that the sanctuary in Grabarka was visited by approx. 8,000 people. Organized groups of foot pilgrims from, for example, Białystok, Warsaw or Jabłeczna arrived at the shrine.

This is one of the most important holidays for the faithful of the Orthodox Church in Poland. The main liturgy was held on Friday at the field altar and was celebrated by the head of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Sawa.

Minister Wojciech Kolarski took part in the ceremony on behalf of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda. The metropolitan of Vilnius and Lithuania Innocent was also present among the guests.

The estimated number of Orthodox Church believers in Poland is about 450,000-500,000. In the latest national census, 156,000 Poles declared that they are Orthodox Christians.