We already were in the mosque, in Bohoniki, now its time to visit another sacred place of foreign religion. On the way was the heart of the Orthodox Church in Poland. The most important place for Orthodox – Holy Mountain Grabarka. It is located near Siemiatycze city.
In this place every year, on August 19, takes the most important festival – the feast of the Transfiguration. That day, Grabarka is visited by the thousands of pilgrims who came here on foot from distant areas and even by government officials. We were there for two days before the feast, so the area was not crowded yet. However we saw preparations to this event. Along the way we passed the pilgrimage – they had about 40 km left to the end.
The largest pilgrimage that comes here is starting a route in Bialystok. This year, it was organized for the thirtieth time, and participation in it took 250 people.
At the top of the mountain there is a sanctuary and below we can find a chapel with a wonderful spring. According to the faithful springs flowing water is the source of healing power. People use handkerchiefs to wash their faces and sick areas of their bodies. Tissues are then kept as a symbol of illness leaving.
At the top of the mountain we found a small wooden church. There is some exorcism that people believes that they can clear their souls of bad and illness by making circle walk around the curch on their knees. In this way they ask for grace, or want to thank God for something. We saw few of them there. Inside the temple people were praying. Altar is generously, and the dominant color is gold there.
The slopes of mountain is covered with thousands of crosses. A whole bunch of Orthodox crosses. People starts to leave crosses here in 1710. They believe that leaving the cross is equal to leave there their disease.
This place is the equivalent of Czestochowa for Catholics. It is worth to see this unique place. If you want to avoid the crowd select some date other than Aug, 19.