The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in Dobra Szlachecka

The Orthodox church complex in Dobra Szlachecka consists of the former Greek Catholic Church of St. Nicholas (currently the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross) from 1879 and the bramna tower-belfry from the 17^th century. It is the only monument of this type in Poland, a relic of the Medieval building tradition placing the temple above the gate in fortifications. In such Orthodox church the icon or relics were usually placed, which were something most important in the castle-town.

The Orthodox church is wooden, oriented (eastward), tripartite, with a timber framing structure set on a stone foundation. The whole is boarded with vertical formwork with slats. The roofs are gabled covered with sheet metal, above all parts are octagonal bulbous-like domes. Inside is a Classicist four-zone iconostasis from the 19^th century, made by Antoni and Michał Bogdański. The same artists made figural polychrome.

The second building, i.e. the tower, or rather the bramna Orthodox church is located on the axis of the temple. It consists of three floors. The first is made of stone, square, plastered and the other two are wooden. At the second floor there was an archaic-type iconostasis, after which an iconostasis compartment with tsarist and the only one deacon gate preserved. Until the Zamość Synod in 1720, only one Eucharist per day could be celebrated at one iconostasis. Due to the existence of the iconostasis, the tower was a separate Orthodox church, which made it possible to celebrate an additional mass in Dobra on the same day, which is why it is said to be a bramna Orthodox church. At the top floor there is a room (izbica) for bells. It is a unique object in the country.