The Church of the Holy Trinity in Kosava

The many treasures of Kosava

The town of Kosava (Bel. Косава) in the southwestern Brest region of Belarus is particularly dear to the enthusiasts of Thaddeus Kosciuszko’s legacy. After all, the famous Myerachowshchyna – the birthplace of the future General – is located just there on its outskirts. Moreover, the freshly renovated, Neo-Gothic palace of the Pusłowski family, better known as the Kosava Castle, reaffirmed the town’s esteemed position on the touristic map of the region. This, however, isn’t the end of what Kosava has to offer, especially for those who are there to retrace Kosciuszko’s footsteps. Should I be granted a chance to visit the wooden manor of Myerachowshchyna, my next stop would certainly be the church of the Holy Trinity – the place where little Thaddeus was baptised, and the first document bearing his name was issued.

The mysterious baptismal font

The church we see today was built in 1877, funded by Wandalin Pusłowski – of the same family that earlier commissioned the nearby Castle. The original, wooden temple perished in a major fire several years prior: built in 1626,¹ it had stood in place for about 250 years – and it was in it where little Thaddeus was baptised on February 12^th 1746. The memory of the event is marked by two bronze plaques inside the contemporary church: one with Kosciuszko’s portrait and the other with a stylised excerpt from the certificate of his baptism. Both inscriptions are written in Polish,² which might be due to the fact that this was the language in which the certificate was issued. The displayed excerpt translates as follows:

”

On February 12th 1746, revered Rajmond Korsak, the Prior of the Dominican order in Hoszczewo, baptised an infant, a son of rightful parents, as Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura, [a child] of their lordships Ludwig Tadeusz and Tekla née Ratomska Kościuszko, the sword masters of the Brest voivodeship.
The godparents were: Mr Kazimierz Narkuski, the prefect of Kuszliki, Mrs Suchodolska née Protesowicz, Mr Adam Protesewicz, the deputy prefect of Pinsk, and Miss Suchodolska, a clerk of Słonim.

Below the plaques, there is another commemoration consisting of framed photocopies of Kosciuszko’s baptism certificate, his portrait, a photography of the Myerachowshchyna manor, and one unrecognisable document.³ In front of it, there is an intriguing artefact on display: a small baptismal font carved in stone, possibly originating from the previous, wooden church – in all likelihood, the same one that witnessed the ceremony on February 12^th 1746.

Baptised twice? Possible!

The old baptismal font in the church of the Holy Trinity in Kosava.

As usually with Thaddeus Kosciuszko, there is a degree of mystery surrounding the events in his life – his baptism being no exception. Some scholars hypothesise that the family of his mother, Tekla Ratomska, belonged, in fact, to the Ruthenian Uniate Church (Руская Уніяцкая Царква) – a religious entity endemic to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: a form of the Orthodox faith, but formally subjected to the Holy See in the Vatican. Historian Oleg Łatyszonek⁴ recounts popular stories, according to which little Thaddeus was baptised twice: firstly, in the Uniate rite of his mother, and then in the Catholic rite of his father. Although the available documents testify only to the Catholic baptism, the existence of a tradition that ascribes Orthodox roots to young Thaddeus is of considerable significance. We know that at least three Orthodox churches were funded by Thaddeus’ ancestors: one in the village of Vialikija Sekhnovichi, the others in Mateevichi and Stepanki – all of these survive to this day.⁵ While difficult to fully confirm, the tale of the double baptism reaffirms Kosciuszko as a transnational hero – whose heritage brings together the peoples on the two sides of the Bug river.

References

State cultural institution „Kossovsky palace and park complex”, “Holy Trinity’s Church”, Kosava Castle, last updated April 17th 2023, https://zamok-kossovo.by/en/posetitelyam/kostel-svyatoy-troitsy/ [Accessed: 15.05.2023]. ↩︎
Мікалай Крук, “Памятная табліца ў гонар хрышчэньня ў касцёлу Тадэвуша Касьцюшкі”, Radzima.org, last updated January 1st 2023, https://radzima.org/be/fota/21343.html [Accessed: 08.05.2023]. ↩︎
Radiomaria.by Editors, “Як пілігрым пілігрыму. Косава”, Радыё Марыя у Беларусі, last updated August 8th 2022, https://radiomaria.by/audyyateka/31-pragramy/yak-piligrym-piligrymu/1916-yak-piligrym-piligrymu-kosava [Accessed: 12.05.2023]. ↩︎
Fundacja Tutaka, “Tadeusz Kościuszko – bohater wielu narodów?”, published February 4th 2021, YouTube video, 35:58, https://youtu.be/iVkeaL7gh-o [Accessed: 08.04.2023]. ↩︎
ТОК | TALK, “Рака лёсу. Фільм да 275-годдзя Тадэвуша Касцюшкі”, published February 4th 2021, YouTube video, 17:25, https://youtu.be/GIW3ypycxuY [Accessed: 08.04.2023]. ↩︎