Peter and Paul Church, Vyzhnytsia

TheChurch of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the town of Vyzhnytsia, Chernivtsi Oblast, was built in 1876 in the Neo-Gothic style at the expense of the then local tycoon of Armenian origin Hryhorii Hayvas and is located in the central part of the town. According to historical data, it was built on the site of an old wooden church that was built in 1812 by Polish immigrants on the land granted to them by the Austro-Hungarian Empire for the colonization and polonization of the Carpathian region. The building stands on a hill near the historic city center, near the stadium. The main sights of the city are within walking distance: St. Nicholas Church, the Main Synagogue, the Museum of Local Lore...

In its architectural design, the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul is a basilica with no protrusions; a quadrangular bell tower rises above the narthex, topped by a pointed octagonal roof with a cross. In the rear there is a faceted apse with an altar. The central facade of the building is decorated with a small staircase. The side facades of the church are decorated with high arched windows and pseudo-columns. The Roman Catholic church was built in such a way that its tall tower is visible from almost every corner of the city.

After World War II, by order of the Soviet authorities, the church was closed in 1946 and its premises were converted into industrial warehouses. Only in the early 90s of the last century, with the proclamation of Ukraine's independence, the church was returned to the Roman Catholic community of the city, and later restoration work was carried out.

The crypt contains the grave of the founder of this shrine, Hryhorii Ivas. It is also known that the parents of the famous Ukrainian writer Yurii Fedkovych were married here.

Today, the Peter and Paul Church in Vyzhnytsia is a functioning church, considered a typical sacred building of the Austro-Hungarian era, belongs to the diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, and is an architectural monument of local significance. While in Vyzhnytsia, it is also worth visiting the nearby village of Vyzhenka with its many attractions.

Vyzhnytsia is a small Carpathian town with a population of only about 5 thousand people. However, the amazing beauty of the surrounding mountains and forests, the steep Cheremosh, combined with the original architecture of the Austrian times, makes it a real gem of the Carpathian part of Bukovyna. Vyzhnytsia is located at the foot of the Carpathians, on the right bank of the stormy Cheremosh, 70 km from the regional center of Chernivtsi.

The first mention of the town is found in the Moldovan chronicle of 1501. In 1514-1574 the town was under the rule of the Turks. Until 1774, Vyzhnytsia was subordinated to the Principality of Moldova, and later to Austria-Hungary. At the end of the eighteenth century, with the beginning of the development of the timber industry, Vyzhnytsia became an important point of trade in wood. After the Cheremosh riverbed was regulated (1790-1812), construction timber and firewood were floated to Chernivtsi, and from there, along a dirt road through the Boyany, to Bessarabia and Podillia.

Vyzhnytsia suffered terrible devastation during the First World War. The town changed hands several times, leaving most of the buildings in ruins and the number of inhabitants down to 500.

In 905, a regional school of carving, turning, and metal ornamentation was organized in Vyzhnytsia. It was attended by 20 children. Its founders and teachers were the famous Hutsul carvers Vasyl Shkribliak, Vasyl Devdiuk, Marko Megedeniuk, and Fedir Hnatiuk. The school's products soon became known far beyond the region.

During 1869-1872, the writer Yurii Fedkovych worked as an inspector of schools in the Vyzhnytsia district. Ukrainian artist, writer, and public figure Kornylo Ustianovych (1839-1903) lived and died in Vyzhnytsia for some time. The famous Polish artist Juliusz Kosak (1824-1899) was born here; the Polish artist Anna Czartoryska spent her childhood and adolescence here.

Ukrainian writers have visited the city: Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, Vasyl Stefanyk, artist Ivan Trush, and other cultural figures. The city's community always welcomed their favorite artists with hospitality and joy. On 23 July 1901, in honor of Lesia Ukrainka's arrival, a large concert was organized in the largest venue of the time.

Vyzhnytsia is the birthplace of the People's Artist of Ukraine Nazar Yaremchuk, the Smerichka vocal and instrumental ensemble and the Smerechyna folk dance ensemble were born here, and Vasyl Zinkevych and many other famous artists began their careers here.

Tourist attractions of Vyzhnytsia include the wooden St. Demetrius Church (nineteenth century); St . Nicholas Church (late nineteenth - early twentieth century); St . Peter and Paul Church (nineteenth century); synagogue (eighteenth century, now the Palace of Culture); the old railway station (Austrian times), Vyzhnytsia Town Hall (early twentieth century); Anna Moskva-Golota's house-hotel (Lesya Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi, Olha Kobylianska visited it in their time), Nazariy Yaremchuk's museum-estate, M. Marfiyovych's museum. Marfiyevych, the museum of the V. Shkriblyak College of Applied Arts (its collections contain more than 600 exhibits of diploma and best semester works: women's blouses, men's shirts, napkins, towels, carpets, tablecloths). You can learn about the history of the city and the region by visiting the Vyzhnytsia Folk Museum. Vyzhnytsia is rightfully considered a center of folk crafts (embroidery, carpet making, woodworking, Easter eggs, inlaid products).