In 1498 Orthodox noble Aleksander Chodkiewicz asked some monks from Athos and Kiev Lavra to start a monastery on his land. He had promised to fund it's creation. He was also supported by Bishop Joseph of Smolensk.
Initially they settled in a town of Haradok (now Gródek in northeastern Poland) but after two years they concluded there was to loudly to live monastic life. They put a wooden cross on a river of Supraśl floating through the town and followed it while the cross was flowing. After some time and distance the cross stopped on the bank so they decided to settle there.
This year, to commemorate that event about 40 parishioners of Nativity of the Theotokos Parish in Gródek lead by their pastor, Fr. Mikołaj Ostapczuk, decided to follow the footsteps of the monks, by kayaks to take part in the feast of Supraśl Icon of Theotokos in the monastery monks established..
Let me present some picture of (propably) world's first Orthodox kayak pilgrimage:
http://www.cerkiew.pl/index.php?id=fotoreportaze&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=17287&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1&cHash=72434664571dd5b80001268a5717a46a
"następne" -" next one"
"poprzednie" - "previous one"
