Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God in Wysowa-Zdrój

The Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God in Wysowa-Zdrój is an Orthodox monastery for men in the Przemyśl-Gorlice diocese of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The community is small.

How the monastery came about

The monastery was founded by decree of the Archbishop of Przemyśl and Nowy Sącz. It was placed in a house that the archbishop's sister gave to the Orthodox Church, and the building was adapted for the needs of a monastic community. On the monastery grounds there is a house chapel dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God and St Job of Pochaiv.

Link with Mount Jawor

The founding of the monastery refers to the Marian apparitions that were said to have taken place on Mount Jawor in the 1920s. For the Lemko population and Orthodox believers from Slovakia it became a holy place. The monastery, together with the mountain, became a destination of Orthodox pilgrimages from Poland and Slovakia. On the summit itself stands the tserkva of the Protection of the Mother of God on Holy Mount Jawor.

Practical information

• The monastery lies in the spa town of Wysowa-Zdrój, not far from the mineral water pump room.
• It is a working monastery, so arrange the rules of visiting and the times of services with the monastery before your visit.