Strachocina - native village of
Saint Andrew (Andrzej) Bobola.

Strachocina, Poland - click to go to the map of the vicinity

Strachocina is a relatively big village in the East Małopolska - the east-southern part of today's Poland.
It belongs to the Podkarpackie voivodship (county) with the capital in Rzeszow. In earlier, "historical" times the region was called Ziemia Sanocka (The Land of Sanok). Its capital was Sanok - still the biggest town in the close neighborhood. Strachocina is situated almost seven miles west from it.
Ab. 300 houses, 1100 inhabitants, 1200 ha. The picture shows panorama of the village seen from Góry Kiszkowe (Hills of Kiszkas).
view of Strachocina, Poland Founded in 1369, perhaps as "Szwanczyce" (Święcice - ?). Foundation act, issued by the king Casimir the Great is dated on May 10. 1369. Further history of the village is very unclear. At the place of today's Strachocina once there were as much as four (!) villages: Strachocina, Strachocina Wola, Szwanczyce and Meszewa.
Local tradition has it that there lived three kinds of people in the village: serfs (persons in a condition of feudal servitude, required to render services to a lord and attached to the lord's land), tenants of the estate and szlachta zaściankowa (village noblemen) (the latter were something like English gentry).
parish church in Strachocina, Poland The Bobolas were (in XVI-XVII centuries) tenants of the estate. At the place of former residence of the Bobolas called now "Bobolowka" there is a park with ancient trees today. In a field chapel that was built in 1990s there are celebrated solemnities dedicated to Saint Andrew.

At the border of the village there is a parish church of St. Catharina from the turn of XIX and XX centuries - the place of cult of St. Andrzej Bobola.
Near it one can find a monument of the Saint, 600-years old oaks, a St. Maximilian cloister for Nuns and a new-built pilgrim's hostel.

The church is neo-gothic. It is situated in the place of original church founded (or only endowed) in 1390 by Frederick Myssnar the tenant of Jacmierz and Pakosz the tenant of Pakoszowka (villages in neighborhood).
The deed of donation for the church (see excerptions) is dated on the day of St Valentines (it was Saturday that year).

Excerptions from Myssnar and Pakosz's Deed of Donation (of 1390):

In Nomine Domini Amen.
Cum tempus nostrum continua revolutione proch dolor sic labitur, quod praetoritorum actio futurorum succesione subrepiatur, sed dum inter cetera animalia homo sit dignior creatura et perfectior in resolutione carnis et anima, merito suum cognescere debet creatorem. ...
This means (in Latin):
In the name of the Lord. Amen.
Since our time is the object of constant painful changes, since past things are moving away due to sequence of future things, since the man is the creature more dignified and more perfect in respect to body as well as to soul among living beings, it is just for him to recognize his Creator. ...
(...)
...videlicet ecclesiam ex fundamento in honorem Dei omnipotentis et Matris eius Virginis Mariae in honoremque Sanctae Catherinae Virginis fundatam in granitiis villae Kostarowcze ante villam vocatam Strachocina, ...
... having seen the church built from its foundations in honor of the God the Almighty and His Mother Virgin Mary and also in honor of Virgin Saint Catherine at the fields of a village Kostarowce near the village called Strachocina, ...
(...)

one of 600-year oaks near the church The identity of the place is evidenced by details of the deed of donation as well as by ancient oaks that grow close to today's church.
Photograph shows one of the least thick of them. (Remaining trees grow at fenced ground out of the photographer's reach)
No doubt that they remember the first church in Strachocina.
It (or another wooden church build at the same place later) was burned-out in 1624 during incursion of Tartars commanded by Kantymir Bey. Together with the church the parish-priest Adam Majstroga was burnt too. All villages (including Strachocina) in the area were destroyed, their inhabitants killed or abducted.
The only remembrance of those old times - apart from the ancient oaks - is a gothic baptismal basin at the St Andrew's altar (adored for its supposed pertaining to St Andrew).
In the place of the burnt church a new one was built, but only in 1756, after 132 years:


Note of the consecration of the church in 1756
written by then parson of Strachocina parish Father Franciszek Dutkiewicza:

Anno Domini 1756 Die 20 Mensis Julis Illustrissimus Excellentissimus et Reverendissimus Dominus D. Venceslaus Hieronymus de Bogusławice Sierakowski, Episcopus Premysliensis consecravit Ecclesiam hunc, cum altari majori in Honorem et Titulum S. Catharinae V. et M. in quo altari Reliquias SS. MM. Fidelis, Austeri, et Candide incluvit, diemque Anniversariam Dedicationis Dominicam post Festum Exultationis S. Crucis apignavit.

It was made of wood and - according to tradition - rather inconspicuous one. At the end of 19th century it seemed to be too small for the vast Strachocina's parish that then comprised villages: Strachocina, Kostarowce, Pakoszówka, Jurowce, Popiele, Srogow Gorny and Srogow Dolny.
So they build new one.

Since the end of 1980s Strachocina has been the local center of the cult of St Andrew Bobola. Each May 16 there are celebrity attended by numerous pilgrims.

In woods of Strachocina (partially seen on the picture above) there is a natural gas mine - now used as an underground tank (the biggest in Europe - ?) for natural gas bought in Russia.

In Internet Strachocina is mentioned (February 1999) on Home Page of Gmina Sanok.
(Gmina = civil parish)
See also interactive map of tourist attractions of Gmina Sanok (Strachocina is one of the most important among them). Everything in Polish only (alas).
E-mail address to the local Primary School: strachocina@halicz.com.pl (but don't be hopeful that they will answer your message)

source of the pictures:
church: book of Father Mirosław Paciuszkiewicz: "Znów o sobie przypomniał. Św. Andrzej w Strachocinie" ("Again He recalled Himself. St Andrew in Strachocina")
other: private collection

Updated: March 1 1999