Synagogue, Dolyna

In the nineteenth century, there was a small wooden synagogue in Dolyna. It stood between the present-day Sheptytskoho Street and the synagogue. Obviously, it did not meet the needs of the community, and so in 1897 the Jews began to build a new brick synagogue, which was mostly completed in 1932.

The new synagogue is two-story, rectangular in plan, measuring 19 by 21 meters, built of brick, on a concrete foundation. Utility rooms were located in the basement. The first floor was a ceremonial hall with a beautiful interior, the remains of which could be seen as early as 1980. There were spacious balconies on three sides of the hall. The ceiling is in the form of domes painted blue with golden stars on it. The windows of the first floor are large, with a circular end; the windows of the basement are somewhat smaller, rectangular. The roof is gabled and made of galvanized tin. The side gables are built higher than the roof and end in ledges covered with tiles. The cornice has decorative triglyphs (denticles). There was no exterior plaster.

The Jews did not use it for long. In 1942 the German Nazis killed the Jews, looted the synagogue, and turned it into a warehouse. It was used to store grain and other products collected from the population, which were then transported to Germany.

Already in 1964, the synagogue building was recognized as an emergency by the district commission, sold by the city council to the district consumer union, and after minor repairs was used as a warehouse for food products until 1991.

With the proclamation of independence and the resumption of religious life, the synagogue building was purchased from the district consumer society by the Evangelical Christian Baptist community.

The new owners strengthened the structures, reinforced the walls and ceilings, and repaired the roof. An entrance vestibule was added to the main façade, culminating in two conical spires. All the premises were redecorated. In the basement there are small and large guest halls, a boiler room and kitchen, a Sunday school for children, and a library. The main ceremonial hall and balconies are beautifully decorated. The new front door was made by Mr. V. Strus, a resident of Dolyna, with his father. The facade of the building is plastered with light gray terrazzo plaster.

The work was completed and the House of Prayer was dedicated in 1995. Little reminds us that there was a synagogue here. Only the table "Ten Commandments of God" made of wood, which miraculously survived from the time of the synagogue's activity, has been carefully restored and installed in a niche in the wall in the small hall.