Easter is a solemn ancient Christian holiday. This great celebration was established in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The date and month of Easter are not fixed, they change every year and are calculated according to the lunisolar calendar. This year, Easter awaits us on May 1.
And everyone has probably already thought about where exactly they will celebrate this holiday, alone, or with family or loved ones.
We want to help you choose the most beautiful place to celebrate such an important occasion and bring to your attention the top 10 churches and monasteries in Ukraine that are really worth visiting for Easter.
10. Holy Assumption Pochaiv Lavra (Ternopil)
The Holy Assumption Lavra of Pochaiv is not just a temple, it is the largest Orthodox shrine in Volhynia and the most revered spiritual center of Ukraine. The architecture of the Holy Assumption Lavra of Pochaiv is not simple, it consists of 16 churches, the residence of the archbishop and cells. Around the temple you will see unspeakable beauty: a rocky mountain slope, terraces and a picturesque landscape.
The shrines of the Lavra are the relics of the Most Reverend Job, a spring with healing water, a miraculous icon of the Mother of God, and even the imprint of her foot.
Legends tell us that the sacred temple was founded in Volyn by Kyiv monks - Akindyn, Polycarp, Pamva and the holy martyr Lucian. They appeared here around the middle of the 13th century, when they were fleeing from the invasion of the Mongol-Tatar hordes, who had captured Kyiv at that time. It is believed that the name of the temple was given by the name of a small right tributary of the Dnieper, which flowed into Slavutych in the Kyiv Podil region.
Another version of the origin of the name is a modification of the expression "The Virgin Mary works miracles." According to legend, in the same historical period - in 1240 - the Mother of God appeared to the monks above the temple, after which, by the way, an imprint of her foot and a healing spring appeared.
History, in turn, tells us that the construction of the Holy Assumption Pochaiv Lavra began in the 16th century, and not in the 13th, as legends say. Anna Goyska donated the funds for the construction, thanks to her the construction went quite quickly and was soon completed. By the way, it was she who donated the same icon of the Mother of God, which was already mentioned earlier.
9. Church of St. Nicholas (Lviv)
The ninth in our ranking is the Church of St. Nicholas in the city of Lviv. This church is the oldest building in the city, it belongs to the architecture of the 13th century. The church appeared on the occasion of the founding of the city of Lviv.
Historically, this temple was previously a family tomb and a courtyard church of the Galician-Volyn princes. The date of foundation is considered to be 1264-1340. The church has a rich history, in the 16th century the Nikolaev Brotherhood existed here, in the 16th century the temple belonged to the Greek Catholic Church, in the first half of the 20th century it belonged to the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, and from the second half of the 20th century it has been the Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate.
In the Church of St. Nicholas you will find the following historical monuments: the icon of Theodore of Tiron and the icon of the Mother of God, dating from the 17th century, as well as the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and frescoes in the pseudo-Byzantine style.
The Church of St. Nicholas is the only continuously operating church in the city throughout its history.
8. Pokrovsk Church (Lutsk)
The eighth place was taken by the Pokrovsk Church in Lutsk, which is the oldest operating church in the city.
The history of the church begins around the 15th century. According to some sources, the temple was built by the grandchildren of the Kiev prince Volodymyr the Great, while others believe that the founder of the church was the Lithuanian prince Vytautas. Initially, the temple was built of wood, but later it was rebuilt in stone.
Until the 19th century, the Pokrovsk Church was a simple Orthodox church, in 1803 it became a Greek Catholic cathedral, and in 1826 - an Orthodox one.
Until 1962, the icon of the Volyn Mother of God from the 13th-14th centuries was located here; now it is in the National Art Museum of Ukraine.
7. Cathedral of Christ the Savior (Uzhhorod)
Seventh place was taken by the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, located in the city of Uzhhorod. This church is not as ancient as the previous three, but it still has the right to be in this ranking.
The history of construction begins in the 90s of the last century and ends at the beginning of the 20th century. The temple belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate, its rector is Dmitry Sidor, a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The temple is visible from almost any point in Uzhhorod, its height is 60 meters. The main gilded dome of the cathedral is crowned with an 8-meter and 500-kilogram gilded cross. The main dome is surrounded by four smaller blue domes.
6. Holy Assumption Cathedral (Poltava)
The next place in the ranking is the city of Poltava and the Holy Assumption Cathedral.
Let's delve into history. Initially, the Poltava Cathedral, documented in 1695, like many other churches of that time, was wooden. In 1770, the church was rebuilt in stone, by the way, it was the first stone cathedral in Poltava. Later, in 1780, the church was rebuilt again. The floor of the church was originally made of clay bricks, later it was changed to cast iron. In 1900, the church was rebuilt again, making it wider, more spacious and brighter.
In 1847, the cathedral became a cathedral, a brick fence with a wrought iron grille appeared around it; previously the fence was wooden.
Today, the Holy Assumption Cathedral belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate.
5. Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Kharkiv)
In fifth place in our ranking is the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Kharkiv. This is one of the most beautiful churches in the city, and is included in the seven wonders of Kharkiv.
The history of the cathedral dates back to the 1750s, when it was not a luxurious cathedral, but a small wooden church. It became a stone church only in 1789, and five years later it was consecrated and opened to parishioners.
Due to the fact that the number of parishioners was increasing, it was decided to expand the church, which took place in 1836 and allowed the temple to bear the title of "City Cathedral".
The temple impresses with its monumentality, style, and rich interior decoration. The main motifs were borrowed from the Kiev Volodymyr Cathedral and partly from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
4. Transfiguration Cathedral (Chernihiv)
Chernihiv and the Transfiguration Cathedral located there, the oldest architectural monument of Kyivan Rus, deserve fourth place.
The history of the cathedral, created on the initiative of Mstislav Tmutarakansky, Prince of Chernihiv, begins around 1030. In ancient times, a pagan temple stood on the site of the modern stone building, and later a wooden church was erected here. Long before the completion of its construction, the temple became the most important sanctuary of the Chernihiv-Siversky lands, since it was here that amazing miraculous icons and relics of saints were stored, and spiritual figures and princes of Kiev and Chernihiv were buried.
3. Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
The third place in our ranking is occupied by the largest museum complex in Ukraine – the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
The monastery was founded in 1051 by monks Anthony and Theodosius near Kyiv. In the 11th century, the monastery became the center of Christianity in Russia, and in the 17th century, it received the status of a "lavra".
Over the centuries, the monastery was built and rebuilt. Defensive walls, bell towers, fortress walls appeared...
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a beautiful example of Ukrainian Baroque art.
2. St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral (Kyiv)
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv took an honorable second place. It was named so because at that time it was the first church with a gilded dome.
The church was founded in 1108 by the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, the Kiev prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavych. The cathedral was consecrated in 1113, and when Prince Svyatopolk died in 1114, he was buried in the church he had built. The cathedral was repeatedly rebuilt and reconstructed in the 15th-18th centuries.
In 1937, the temple was barbarically blown up. It was restored in the late 1990s.
The bell tower of St. Michael's Cathedral is impressive, as it houses a unique keyboard-bell instrument – a carillon. Only a specially trained musician can play melodies of varying complexity on it.
1. St. Volodymyr's Cathedral (Kyiv)
The winner of our rating is St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv, the main temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate.
The St. Vladimir Cathedral was built in 1882 on the initiative of Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow.
The cathedral is a beautiful representative of the Russian Neo-Byzantine style.
The relics of the Great Martyr Barbara and Saint Macarius are currently housed in the Volodymyr Cathedral.
So, in Ukraine there are many churches worth visiting for Easter, but wherever you happen to celebrate this wonderful holiday, in a majestic cathedral or in a modest village church, the main thing is that your soul is open to goodness and gives it to those around you.
Author: Oksana Medynska.
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