Church of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Matkiv

The wooden church in the center of Matkovo is very difficult to miss. Situated on a low hill, the Church of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the main attraction of the small village.

It is interesting that the Church of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the few architectural structures made in the traditions of the Boyko school. There are few Boyko churches left in Ukraine: 2 in Ivano-Frankivsk and 5 in Lviv regions. One of them is St. George's Church in Lviv.

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1838. Three tall wooden log cabins with domes already in the 19th century admired architects and ordinary people of that time. No wonder the church is considered the most beautiful religious building of the late 19th century.

Most of the wooden churches in Ukraine have retained their original interior decoration. The Church of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is no exception. Two reconstructions of the monastery in the 19th century added authentic Ukrainian paintings to the interior. In 1924, a two-tiered bell tower in the same style as the main church appeared next to the church.

Today, the Church of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is visited for its calm atmosphere and unique values - paintings of the walls, iconostasis and altar of the century before last. Due to its original architecture , the church was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the best wooden churches in the Carpathian region of Ukraine.