At the age of 102, Michał Bałasz passed away

Ola Kloc

18 of July '25

Michael Balash [1923-2025] has died.

photo courtesy of the Podlasie District Chamber of Architects

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On July 18 this year, Michal Balasz, doyen of Podlasie architecture, author of many Catolic and Eastern Orthodox churches, called "Architect of God" not without reason, died at the age of 102.

From Vilnius to Bialystok via Poznan and Gdansk

Michal Balasz was born on January 22, 1923 in Vilnius. Wartime vicissitudes brought him to Poland in 1946, where his family - his parents, older brother Alexander and two younger sisters, Veronika and Aleksandra, mother of Aleksandra Kwasniewski, President of Poland - were staying.

He completed his bachelor's degree in architecture in Poznan, and his second degree at the Gdansk University of Technology. In 1954, his longing for the East led him to Bialystok, where he took the position of city architect.

architect of many faiths

Regardless of the design task he faced - whether it was a large church or a small roadside stop - every object was important to him.

Orthodox church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bielsk Podlaski

Photo: Krzysztof Kundzicz | Wikimedia Commons © CC BY-SA 3.0

He designed, according to some sources, more than 70 Catolic and nearly 50 Orthodox churches. One of his first architectural challenges was the renovation of Bialystok's St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (now St. Nicholas Cathedral), later he created other religious buildings - the Orthodox Church of Divine Wisdom in Bialystok, the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bielsk Podlaski or St. Dmitri in Hajnówka, as well as the churches of Resurrection and All Saints in Bialystok. He was also involved in the reconstruction of the Gothic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Suprasl and the renovation of Adam Mickiewicz's manor house in Novogrudok.

Resurrection Church in Bialystok

I do what I know how to do best, which is design. It may sound a bit immodest, but I believe that thanks to me Bialystok has gained character. The point is that I specialize in creating religious buildings. For example, I designed the Hagia Sophia Orthodox Church and the Church of the Resurrection. I imagine a person walking down the sidewalk in the evening. It's snowing, it's freezing. The towers of churches and domes of Orthodox churches tower over the city. Suddenly the bells ring out. The whole atmosphere of the city is enchanted here

- he said in an interview in Kurier Poranny in 2009.

The oldest active architect in Europe?

Michal Balasz was considered one of the oldest active architects in Europe - in 2006 he was awarded the honorary Stanisław Bukowski Prize by the Bialystok Branch of SARP, and in 2014 the Podlasie Regional Chamber of Architects recognized him for his lifetime of work.

He died on July 18, 2025 at the age of 102, the Podlasie Regional Chamber of Architects announced of the architect's death. The funeral ceremony will take place on July 21 in Bialystok.