Supraśl - Orthodox monastery and Museum of Icons - Poland Soul Travel - Wir laden Sie nach Polen im Slow-Stil ein

A trip through Podlasie, Poland’s most multicultural land, would be incomplete without places important to Orthodox believers.

One of them is the pleasant town of Supraśl, the most dominating building of which is the Monastery of the Annunciation in Supraśl with its black and white towers.

Under this somewhat lengthy but dignified name (in Polish: Monaster Zwiastowania Przenajświętszej Bogurodzicy i św. Jana Teologa) hides a monastery founded by one of the voivodes of the former Polish-Lithuanian state.

The mysterious building tucked away in an inner courtyard is a beautiful remnant of the culture of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – a country that for several centuries was famous throughout Europe for its unprecedented freedom and religious liberty.

The monastery attracts Belarusian residents of these parts of Podlasie with its reputedly miraculous image of Our Lady of Supraśl.

An equally great experience will be a visit to the neighboring Museum of Icons, which gathers masterpieces of the Eastern art of “writing” with a brush on wooden boards – for, according to Orthodox beliefs, icons are not painted, but just written. Regardless of individual religious beliefs you will be moved by the simplicity and condensed message of the schematic, frigid images collected in this intimate museum.

In addition to visiting the monastery, take a moment for an unhurried stroll around the town, charmingly located on a small hill above the Supraśl River and surrounded by the mighty Knyszyn Forest – the second largest forest in Podlasie after the famous Białowieża Forest. In the wooden, one-story houses crowded along the streets you will come across friendly inns and stores with local handicrafts. We especially recommend a visit to the restaurant “Tatarynka” and encourage you to try the delicacies of the cuisine of the Muscovites of Podlasie, or the slightly hidden under the forest “Łukaszówka”, where you will eat or buy to take away organic delicacies from the region. We recommend babka ziemniaczana – a kind of golden-baked, simple cake traditionally served for dinner.

More about the Museum of Icons in Supraśl