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ID: dok-001055-P/107261

Roman Catholic Cemetery in Beresteczko

ID: dok-001055-P/107261

Roman Catholic Cemetery in Beresteczko

The Catholic cemetery in Beresteczko is located in the eastern part of the town about 300 m from the destroyed post-Trinitarian church and is a section of the cemetery that has long been closed. Its centrepiece is an eclectic chapel from the 19th century. Erected as the tomb of the Raciborskis in 1854 https://rkc.in.ua/index.php?&m=k&f=alc&p=vlgobekc&l=p&n=1 , it now serves as a parish church. According to information from Zbigniew Hauser's book, inside there is a crucifix with statues of the Virgin Mary and St John. Until recently the cemetery was devastated, but thanks to the efforts of the parish priest it was renovated. The tombstones were cleaned, the surviving fragments of the wall were restored, a gate was built and the chapel was renovated. However, it was not possible to restore the inscriptions, many of which remain illegible.

In the cemetery, the oldest surviving inscriptions point to the 1860s. Of particular interest, Hauser mentions, among others, the obelisk on the gravestone of Countess Rosa, née Mossakowska, Chamberlain Omiecińska, who died in 1860, as well as an unnamed stone gravestone topped with a sculpture of a concerned angel and a two-part stone monument decorated with bas-relief ribbons and bouquets of flowers to Władysław Zubrzycki, who died in 1935 - signed 'Ostrowski Brody'. Another magnificent monument is the tombstone of Jan Walicki, who died in 1882, made of black marble. It used to be crowned by a column, but now lies beside it, with a cast-iron fence erected around it. The monument bears an elaborate inscription: 'Rest my husband fondly / In this sad and silent grave / And my wife in tears of despair for you / Until they lay her too / in this grave / The late / Here rests the corpse / of Jan Walicki / lived 65 years / moved to eternity / on 31 January 1882 / we ask for an Angel's Greeting'. The cemetery retains distinctive rock-hewn gravestones with bas-relief angels holding books or inscription sheets; unfortunately, most of the inscriptions are obliterated.

Bibliography:

  • Hauser Zbigniew, „Podróże po cmentarzach Ukrainy”, t. IV, „Województwa: wołyńskie, podolskie, bracławskie i kijowskie”, Kraków 2009, s. 20-24.

Author:

Alicja Czuber-Filonik
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