St. Michael's Church, Svaliava

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An ancient Lemko St. Michael's Church, a monument of wooden architecture of the 16th and 17th centuries in Transcarpathia. A real masterpiece of Cossack Baroque architecture in Svaliava in the village of Bystryi on a hill in the old cemetery.

For more than four centuries, a monument of wooden architecture, a church, has been standing on one of the streets of Svaliava, surprising our contemporaries with the high skill of ancient builders. According to legend, built without a single nail, it carries the message from ancient times, serves as an example of the skill and extraordinary ingenuity and craftsmanship of people who worked at the turn of the century, and even now nourishes the spirituality of the parishioners, serving as a model of worship of the Almighty, love and respect for Him.

Moving the church is another incredible and almost unknown feat of the Lemkos. It was transported by dragging it across a stream on a road made of oak planks. The transportation and reconstruction were completed in 1759. At the same time, a one-story bell tower was added to complement the architectural ensemble. The church was dedicated on the day of the Archangel Michael. For 200 years afterward, prayer services were held in his name. Two dates remain on the walls of the church: 1972 і 1973. There is an assumption that these are the dates of restoration.

Of course, it is not known who exactly was the architect of this masterpiece. And all the documents about the church were destroyed during the Austro-Hungarian rule. But local beliefs remain. According to one of them, confirmed by archival data, a strong man Mykhailo Ivashkovych, the founder of the village, lived in the village. He used to live in Velykyi Bystryi and suggested that the new place be called Bystryi. He initiated the construction of the church, as he was a devout man.

Back in Soviet times, the building of this church was registered as an architectural monument. Our ancestors found a place for the church on one of the highest hills in the city so that the house of God could be seen from afar and the clear tones of the bells could be heard throughout the environment. And the builders undoubtedly believed that those who would enter the church would feel the joy of communion with God and relief from prayer and repentance.

Unfortunately, the church has also experienced many sad pages in its history. During the years of its existence, due to repression, it lost three bells. In the 40s of the twentieth century it was closed. Also, under Soviet rule, they wanted to dismantle it and transport it to a museum. But the locals defended their landmark. In 1972, the Lemko daughter was restored by the famous Lviv architect I. Mohytych. In the 90s of the twentieth century, services began to be held in the church again. In 2001, a cross was erected and dedicated on the previous site of the church, the slope of Mount Berda.

The church is three-domed, three-tiered, with a baroque tower over the pews. Its plan is made up of three log cabins located on the west-east axis. The church is built of oak wood, the foundation is made of stone with clay mortar. The monument dates back to 1759. The date, which was carved on the doorstep, is now covered by the platbands of the later double doors. The monument belongs to the Lemko type of churches. On the northwestern side of the church there is a small one-tiered bell tower of a pillar structure covered with a tetrahedral tent roof.

Now it's time to describe the architecture of this Lemko beauty. It combines features of Cossack Baroque and Lemko styles. The tall tower with a Baroque ending and an open gallery with carved columns around the Babynets are a sign of Lemko. Three baroque openwork crosses with a perpendicular intersection of three straight lines rise above the crescent. This is a symbol of the victory of the Cossacks over the Turks, of Christianity over Islam. This is the standard form of crosses in Orthodox churches during the Cossack era.

It is also worth noting the dynamic movement of the forms: from the crown of the altar to the top of the pews. The roof of the church is made in a lace style of wooden shingles (roofing material in the form of planks). The entrance to the temple is from the west, and it is decorated with a porch with a gallery and openwork pillars and benches. Near the church there is an old cemetery with stone crosses that functioned until 1930.

Inside, an old wooden iconostasis with the royal gates of the eighteenth century has been preserved. Another shrine is an old icon with the face of St. Nicholas. There are also other images, their age is approximately 300 years. Wall paintings by local painters and carpets, napkins and towels carefully embroidered by women's hands have been preserved. Old church books have also been preserved. The most valuable is the 1667 Trividion, an old printed book made by a private Lviv printer Mykhailo Slyvka.

St. Michael's Church keeps registration books of births, baptisms, weddings, marriages, and deaths of local residents. Church Slavonic books are also kept as relics. All of this is the priceless treasure that gives the tiny corner of Svaliava district its own colors, its own special halo.

But the modern descendants of the strong Lemkos do not really appreciate their heritage. In 2001, the old bell tower was dismantled and a huge concrete one was built, destroying the architectural ensemble. But the bells that call the faithful to prayer are still ancient. A reservoir was dug in front of the main facade. Vandals installed a power pole next to the church wall. They cut down the magnificent old linden alley in front of the entrance. And they blocked the church from all sides with buildings. Now we no longer have the same view of the Transcarpathian beauty as before.

This temple could have become our hallmark, a mecca for tourists and ethnographers, but only a few people still know about it. There is a great risk that the temple will not be wrapped in tin and plastic. And also, that it does not suffer significant damage due to weather conditions and time, because it is completely made of wood.