Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dolyna

In the old part of the city of Dolyna is located the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. With its majestic towers, the church wonderfully fits into the local nature of the region, among green gardens and the picturesque Sheptytsky Street. It is one of the most significant landmarks of the Dolyna district.

The first wooden church in Dolyna appeared in 1648, during the beginning of the Ukrainian national liberation war, which may have served as the reason for its construction. The church stood for 250 years, and by the second half of the 19th century, it was in very poor condition. In 1896, the Greek Catholic community of the city decided to build a new large stone church.

The site was chosen closer to the main street of the city, now known as A. Sheptytsky Street. The project was executed wonderfully, with a high technical and artistic level that impresses, as evidenced by the building itself. Unfortunately, the author remains unknown.

Until 1932, work on completing the church was almost non-existent. But from that year, decoration of the temple began. A mosaic floor made of marble chips was poured, and wall painting commenced.

The bell tower has been preserved since the time of the wooden church and is registered as an architectural monument. In 1994, construction of a new brick bell tower began.

The church's interior is cross-shaped in plan and consists of three naves and five domes. The side arms are significantly shortened and are not very prominent. The total length is 32 meters, the width is 22 meters, and the height of the structure to the cross is 32 meters.

The church has four entrance doors with arched finishes. The main entrance is located in the western facade and is accentuated by a pediment that rests on two round columns. The entrance door is wooden, covered with forged hinges, while the side doors are clad in metal. The windows are rectangular with semi-circular finishes. The domes rest on octagonal drums. The facades are divided by pilasters that end with semi-circular triglyphs.

The interior space is decorated with 5 chandeliers. The main one, hanging from the central tower, is two-tiered, while the 4 side ones are single-tiered. The altar image of the "Mother of God" is located in the apse.

Director: Kotovych Zoreslav Vasylovych

Be sure to visit the museum-bunker of the insurgent victory and the Dolyna Local History Museum of Tetiana and Omelyan Antonovych "Boykivshchyna" - one of the youngest museums in the Carpathian region, founded in 1998. Experienced museum guides will help you organize excursion tours around Dolynshchyna, if you want to see the bunker where Ukrainian nationalists hid, the Carpathian tram in Vygoda, the Dovbush Rocks in Bubnyshche, or the Hoshiv Monastery, Ivan Franko Museum in the village of Lolyn.