Church of St. Dmitry, Rakovets

The small, picturesque village of Rakovets, located on the right bank of the Dniester River, has collected many architectural monuments within its territory. One of them is the Church of St. Demetrius the Great Martyr, which is located in a picturesque valley not far from the river.

The Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica in the village of Rakovets is an Orthodox church of the OCU and an architectural monument built in 1857 in the village of Rakovets, Horodenka district, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine. The church is named in honor of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica, and its consecration took place in 1858. A low stone fence was built around the church. Next to the main entrance to the courtyard stands a bell tower built in three tiers, two of which are made of wood and trimmed with iron.

At the same time, a three-tiered bell tower was erected, along with a low stone wall around the churchyard. According to historical records, the church parish of that time numbered 1006 parishioners. The first mention of an Archpastoral visit to St. Demetrius Church dates back to 1871. The construction of the stone priest's house took place two years later, in 1873. After the arrival of Soviet power in Ukraine, the church continued to operate, and until Ukraine gained independence, it did not suffer any oppression from the communist authorities. The church yard was paved in 2009. In the spring of 2014, the renovation of the old church began with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Julian of Kolomyia and Kosiv, and on November 23 of the same year, the archpastor and his church commission visited the parish of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica and consecrated the renovated church. Currently, the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica belongs to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It holds regular services and sacraments.

The church is brick, two-tiered. It was built according to the classical canons of Orthodox churches in Ukraine and has a three-part cruciform layout with the corresponding interior component: a narthex, a nave, and an altar. A sacristy is attached to the altar, and symmetrical additions are adjacent to the nave on both sides. The narthex is preceded by a vestibule with a side entrance to the church. The main dome, which rises above the nave, is crowned in the upper part with a small dome with a cross. A three-tiered bell tower stands in the churchyard, which is surrounded by a stone wall, near the main entrance. The first tier of the bell tower is made of stone, and the last two tiers are made of wood and covered with iron plates. The church offers a beautiful view of the Dniester River.

St. Dmytro's Church belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. It regularly holds services and gathers parishioners, including young people.

The church is located closer to the Dniester River in the village of Rakovets, which is 3 km from the P20 Sniatyn-Tiaziv highway, in the Horodenkivskyi district of Ivano-Frankivsk region. The most convenient way to get there is to take the P20 highway from Horodenka, reaching Voronov. After passing the entire settlement, turn right and follow the road straight ahead to the village of Rakovets.