Cemetery in Bielawiny, photo 2006
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ID: CM-000008-P/1068

Cemetery in Bielawiny

ID: CM-000008-P/1068

Cemetery in Bielawiny

The cemetery in Bielavinets, on an elongated rectangular plan, is one of the largest and oldest in Western Podolia. Its area covers approximately 2 ha. It is located by the road, at the entrance to the village, next to the Greek-Catholic church built in the early 20th century. It was originally located outside the village. During the inventory, 107 Polish monuments and destructs were found on it. The cemetery was probably established in the early 1780s, as indicated by the oldest surviving monument to Konstancja 1o voto Bielska 2o voto Rogalińska, who died in 1786, and later monuments from the early 19th century. Constance is commemorated by a classicist tombstone of high artistic class, founded in 1808 by the daughter of the deceased, Elżbieta Kalinowska. The monument, so far unknown in the literature, is attributed to the prominent Lvov sculptor Hartman Witwer (1774-1825), as indicated by the tombstone scheme and the stylistic features of the sculpture. The monument, built of Polanski sandstone, has the shape of an urn on a pedestal and a two-stepped base, on which there is a figure of a weeping woman and a figure of a putto presenting a medallion with the founder's coat of arms. During the inventory we also found a tombstone in the form of a monumental cross, commemorating an unknown descendant of the Kalinowski family, who died in 1822. Kalinowski, also founded by Elżbieta Kalinowska. This monument, importantly, bears the signature [Ka]wie[c]. It is also noteworthy that there is a gravestone in the cemetery commemorating a Lithuanian, Michal Endziłlewicz, who probably died at the end of the 19th century, as indicated by the form of the monument. Graves of people from other localities have also been preserved: Jan Upaczuk (died 1879) from nearby Osowiec, Karol Grubizna (died 1886) from Petlikowiec Nowe, Lucja (died 1887) and Piotr (died 1867) Boklag from Bobuliniec, or Mikołaj Skomorowski (died 1928) described in the inscription as a colonist from Kurdwanówka. Due to the unusual inscription, attention is drawn to the monument to Józef Adam (d. 1899), founded by his wife and signed as Faithful wife out of the grave / to her most beloved husband. The inscription, dedicated to the deceased, reads: Work is your motto / Suffering your reward / Love of wife and children / The only solace. You abandoned us early / And we're ok[...] behind you / Though thou art away from us / Our spirits with thee. The burial place of an anonymous person was also found, commemorated by a statue of Immaculata, probably dating from around 1800. The figure of the Virgin Mary at the Classicist supporting element - the column - was made in the already backward style of the so-called Lvov Rococo school. It cannot be ruled out that the author of the monument was a workshop from nearby Buczacz. Apart from the few exceptions mentioned, most of the gravestones were commissioned from anonymous stonemasons from local workshops and represent an average level of workmanship. The predominant monuments are in the form of crosses of various sections, on plinths and bases. They were most often made of concrete, although sandstone was used in nearly 40 of the monuments found. Many burial sites are also commemorated by tombstones. There are also crosses stylised as a tree trunk on plinths in the form of a pile of rocks. In contrast, graves marked with statues are rare. In addition to the examples of higher-class memorials discussed above, one gravestone with a figure of the Virgin Mary and one with an angel group were found.

Variants of the name:

Білявинці

Time of origin:

1880s

Area:

approx. 0.6 ha (entire site)

The oldest gravestone for which documentation has been done:

Tombstone of Konstancja Bielska Rogalińska

History:

The village is situated on the Strypa River, approximately 12 km north of Buczacz.

Active/inactive cemetery:

No

Additional information:

Description of the cemetery after K. Csernak in: "Cemeteries of the former Buczacki district", edited by Anna Sylwia Czyż Bartłomiej Gutowski, Warsaw 2017

Bibliography:

  • Karta dokumentacyjna obiektu zabytkowego poza granicami kraju, powiat buczacki, zbiór przechowywany w Ministerstwie Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, Warszawa..
  • „Cmentarze dawnego powiatu buczackiego”, pod redakcją Anny Sylwii Czyż Bartłomieja Gutowskiego, Warszawa 2017, 61-99.

Date of documentation:

2006

Publikacja:

17.12.2021

Author of the documentation sheet:

Bartłomiej Gutowski, Kamila Csernak
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Cemetery in Bielawiny
Cemetery in Bielawiny, photo 2006

List of cemetery objects

107
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