Wooden Church of St Nicholas, Bodružal

The prototype of the Lemko church

Bodružal is a small Rusyn village in Svidník district of the Prešov Region, not far from the Polish border. On the highest hill in the middle of the village stands the Greek Catholic Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker — one of the oldest wooden churches in Slovakia, dated to 1658. The Ukrainian Wikipedia notes the widespread view that this very church is the prototype of Lemko-type churches.

The church is a three-part log building: a smaller square sanctuary, a larger square nave and a narthex under the main tower, aligned on one east–west axis. The outer walls are clad in vertical boards, and the pyramidal shingle roofs are crowned with onion domes bearing richly decorated wrought-iron crosses. The main tower narrows upwards and has small, curiously shaped sound openings under the roof; it holds three bells, the oldest from 1759. At the start of the First World War most of the bells were taken for military use, and the villagers installed new ones in the late 1920s — the largest was cast by a local forester, Michal Zelizňák. The churchyard is enclosed by a wooden fence with a shingle roof and an almost circular entrance gate. On 7 July 2008 the church was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with other wooden churches of the Slovak Carpathians.

What to see

• The double-sided iconostasis — the only known iconostasis painted on both sides: in the 18th century the present iconostasis was painted on the back of the original 17th-century one. In 1968 the icon of Christ the Teacher was split lengthwise into two, and the reverse icon — St Paul with another disciple — now hangs on the south wall of the nave. Further separation of the icons was abandoned to avoid damaging them.
• The four rows of the iconostasis: in the main row the Baptism of Christ, the Virgin Hodegetria, Christ the Teacher and St Nicholas as the church’s patron; then the twelve great feasts with the Last Supper, the apostles with Christ the High Priest and the prophets with the Crucifixion. An interesting detail: the first icon on the left of an iconostasis is usually St Nicholas, but in churches dedicated to him his icon moves to the patron’s place on the right, and on the left appears St John the Baptist — patron of the Prešov Archeparchy, here in the scene of the Baptism in the Jordan. The Royal Doors are gilded and richly carved.
• An 18th-century mural of the Last Judgement and the Crucifixion, and the Baroque high altar.

Practical information

Bodružal is easiest to reach by car from Svidník; the village is small and the church can be seen from afar on its hill. You can view the exterior at any time, but to see the interior you should arrange it in advance with the Greek Catholic parish in Hunkovce or attend a service. No fixed hours or prices are officially published (as of October 2026); it is customary to leave a voluntary donation. This is a living place of worship, so keep quiet, dress modestly and take photos inside only with permission. The iconostasis and murals were last restored in 1995, and the church itself in 2004–2008.

Nearby

Close by are another UNESCO wooden church in Ladomirová and the Dukla battle memorial near the Polish border. Further east, in Medzilaborce, is the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art, and to the west Bardejov.

Official website: drevenechramy.sk

Photos: Peter Zelizňák, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons; Henryk Bielamowicz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Sebastian Mierzwa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Ľuboš Repta, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; ??? (painters) «--» Peter Zelizňák (photograf), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons; Viacheslav Galievskyi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.