Church of St. Basil, Pidzakharychi

TheChurch of St. Basil in the village of Pidzakharychi, Chernivtsi region, was originally built in 1866 (according to some other sources - in 1876) in the style of the Hutsul school of folk architecture and was located in the center of the village, which itself is small, with individual estates scattered far away in the surrounding hills. The Church of St. Basil in Pidzakharych is a religious monument of the Chernivtsi region. It is the main spiritual center for the whole village. Nearby are the local museum of ethnography and local history and themonument spring "Garchyk".

The church is located above the valley of the Cheremosh River, on a hill. Thanks to this good location, it offers a beautiful view of the river valley and the village. The church is located in the local cemetery.

According to local residents, a fire broke out inside the church in 1953, and because the flames could not be extinguished in time, the church burned down. The situation was aggravated by the fact that under the floor of the church there were hundreds of bullets left by German soldiers during World War II. It was then that many valuable icons and items were lost, as well as church books and archival records, making it difficult to collect accurate data on the history of this building. Only the foundation and the old bell tower survived the fire. Later, in the 1960s, the villagers saved the bells from confiscation by the Soviet authorities by hiding them in a cave in the forest.

In the 1970s, the local community tried to revive the destroyed church at their own expense. To this end, a church frame was erected in the forest, and all that remained was to disassemble it, transport it to the site of the burned church, and reassemble it. However, representatives of the Soviet authorities found out about this and forbade the restoration of this sacred building. Nevertheless, the residents did not lose hope, waiting for the right moment. Finally, with the proclamation of Ukraine's independence in December 1991, the church was rebuilt and consecrated.

The main pearl of the cathedral is its wooden walls and interior decoration. Also noteworthy are the three church domes, which are decorated with crosses. In its architectural design, the modern wooden church is cruciform in plan, three-story, its nave is much wider than the presbytery and the nave. The choirs are located at the top. The height of the church is approximately 14 meters. Its interior is decorated with wall paintings of biblical scenes and is also decorated with woven and embroidered towels, napkins, and tablecloths made by local craftswomen. Today, the building, except for the lower log cabins, is covered with shiny tin. It has water heating with its own boiler room. At the entrance to the sacred building, there are three ritual stone crosses, near which water is blessed on the days of major religious holidays. The area near the church is quite hilly. From here, from a height, you can see a picturesque panorama of the Cheremosh River. Near the church there is a cemetery that is more than two hundred years old.

Not far from the church is an ancient bell tower built in the eighteenth century and the entrance gate to the churchyard.

St. Basil's Church in Pidzakharychi is a functioning church, characterized by the harmony of its forms, and is one of the architectural monuments of Ukraine. In general, the neighborhood is rich in wooden churches, the closest of which are in Vyzhnytsia and Roztoky.

Pidzakharychi is a village in the Putyla district of the Chernivtsi region, located 33 km from Putyla and 13 km from the railway station Vyzhnytsia. It is bordered by the village of Velykyi Rozhyn and the village of Roztoky in Kosiv district to the west, Vyzhnytsia to the north and east, and Roztoky to the southwest. The western border of Pidzakharych village is formed by the Cheremosh river, and the southwestern border is formed by the Smuhar stream, a tributary of the Cheremosh. According to documents dating back to 1869, the village area was 1095 hectares, and the population at that time was 797 people, while at the beginning of the twenty-first century the population numbered approximately 443 people. The climate here is just as temperate and humid as in other settlements of the Putyla district. Pidzakharychi is a small village, but it is very famous throughout Bukovyna, because it was here that such strong personalities as the famous writer Danylo Kharoviuk, the teacher and patriot Danylo Usyk, and the world-famous embroiderer Ksenia Kolotylo were born. The name of the village comes from the mythical hero Zakhar, who grazed cattle in these mountains and defeated a monster that came out of the bottom of the lake and stole human cattle. The list of objects of the nature reserve fund of the Chernivtsi region located on the territory of Pidzakharychi village includes natural monuments of local importance - Dovbush's cave, the entrance to which is located at an angle of 30-40 degrees on the northern part of the rocks, the height of the entrance is up to 2.5 meters and its length is 10 meters, as well as the rock "Extended Stones", "Nimchych Pass". The geographical location of Pidzakharychi village is very convenient for hiking, horseback riding, water travel, as well as fishing and hunting. In addition, almost every house has a family member who is a wood carver, weaver, embroiderer, or clay artist, who will gladly introduce guests to these ancient crafts. Several day trips can be made from the village of Pidzakharychi. It is worth taking advantage of a safe and exciting 30-meter-high climbing route organized by experienced climbers, while gliding enthusiasts will enjoy a bird's-eye view of the landscape. You can cool off in a fast mountain stream, sailing on catamarans all the way to the Black Sea. Pidzakharychi is known for the several-day folklore festival-fair "Zakharetskyi Harchyk", which is held every fall, in September-October. A garchyk is a wooden vessel, similar to a mug, in which the local fermented milk drink guslyanka is stored. At the festival, you can not only taste mamalyha, huslyanka, or kalganivka (local homemade vodka infused with galangal root, which supposedly gives men special strength) and buy products of Hutsul craftsmen, but also attend master classes in embroidery, painting, or wood carving. Girls compete for the title of "Bukovyna Chichka " in the "Hutsul Beauty" contest. There are 5 museums of folk crafts in Pidzakharychi, the most valuable of which is the museum of artworks by folk artist Ksenia Kolotylo. In the center of the village there is a museum of ethnography and local history of the Hutsul region, which presents antiquities, Easter eggs, embroidery, and carving. Next to the museum there is a peculiar wooden monument to a giant "garky" that has already become a symbol of the village, near which there is a crane well, and a path leading upwards will lead us to the church of St. Basil, which was built in 1876, and the bell tower dates back to the 18th century.