Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Negrovets

A small village of Negrovets is hidden between two pearls of western Ukraine, the Synevyr National Park and Kolochava. Its only attraction is the ancient church of St. Michael. It is reliably known that the church marks the beginning of the village of Negrovets for more than 200 years. The Church of St. Michael in Negrovets is the only example of Boyko architecture that has been preserved in its original form.

St. Michael's Church is a wooden church located in the village of Negrovets, Mizhhiria district, Transcarpathian region, an architectural monument of national importance (#219). It is one of the best examples of wooden churches with towers.

St. Michael's Church is one of the best examples of churches with towers. There is a rather deep porch with an open arcade over it in front of the narthex, and the transition from the faceted tower to the spire is made by means of a low tetrahedral pyramidal roof. The lower massif is weakly divided by a dormer that circles the temple, merging with the roof of the apse. The proportions of the spire, which is quite wide at the base, are well matched by the stout tower. Outlined by a firm hand, its masculine silhouette grows vigorously from the high hill.

In the construction of St. Michael's Church, the experience of the craftsmen who created the examples of Gothic wooden architecture of Mashamorosh is clearly felt.

Not only the first-class iconostasis, but also many other older icons are striking in the church. The master well calculated the optical perception of decorative monumental painting, so he dressed his apostles in bright blue, red, green, yellow and white clothes, large spots of which are placed according to a certain rhythm.

This ensemble is especially distinguished by its unique location in the landscape. From the road, it is a refined vertical composition, and if you climb the nearest hill, you can see how soft horizontal lines dominate this angle. The building is well located on a hillside. The pure forms of ancient art, untouched by later interventions, dominate: hewn logs of log cabins, wide planes of shingle roofs, a ribbon of the eaves, a square tower with an arcade of upper choir stalls, covered with a four-pitched tent from which a high spire grows. The height of the tower and the spire is well chosen. All forms are harmoniously balanced. Inside, the nave is covered with an arched vault, the altar is trapezoidal, and the babynets has a flat ceiling. The interior of the church has been completely redesigned, but the carvings and iconography of the eighteenth century have been preserved in the priest's house.

The current church of St. Archangel Michael was built of spruce in the eighteenth century in the Potik tract in the Boyko style, with three domes. According to another version, the church was built in the village of Yasenovets, which was destroyed by a huge landslide. According to an inscription on the log house, in June 1818 the church was completed at its new location, where it received gable roofs and a tower. Near the church stands a wooden two-tiered frame bell tower typical of the Verkhovyna region.

On a high hill opposite the church there is a village cemetery, where a small, very graceful wooden chapel has survived. The chapel was probably built in the 1920s near the road. When the Soviet authorities launched a campaign in the 1960s to destroy roadside crosses and chapels, the structure was moved to the cemetery.

In the summer of 2009, another hand-built wooden church was added to the old church and bell tower. It was built by churchman Dmytro Voron and his assistants specifically to house the old iconostasis, as the interior of the old church was modernized for the needs of the parishioners.

The church in Negrovka was featured in Ukraine's Euro 2012 promotional video, Switch on Ukraine.

The real highlight of St. Michael's Church is that it is located at the foot of one of the Carpathian Mountains. Locals claim that the most beautiful view of the church and bell tower is from the mountainside above the buildings.

Today, the Church of the Archangel Michael is open to parishioners around the clock. The complex becomes especially beautiful during church holidays.

"Negrovets (Hungarian: Felsőkalocsa, Slovak: Negrovec) is a village in the Mizhhiria district of Zakarpattia region. The village was first mentioned in 1463. The former name was Verkhnia Kolochava. In 1657 the village was destroyed by Polish troops.

The village got its name from one of the highest peaks in our Carpathians - Mount Negrovets. Near the village there is a hydrological and botanical reserve - Hlukhanya Swamp. The Negrovets River flows through the village and enters the Tereblya River. The village is located within the Synevyr National Nature Park and has many interesting tourist sites, one of which is Kosyi Verkh mountain. The Hlukhanya - Kosyi Verkh tourist route attracts with its landscapes, picturesque nature and delicious mineral water, which the local population calls "borkut". The route was developed by the Synevyr National Nature Park and is located on the territory of the Negrovets Nature Conservation Research Department. Here you can see the spectacular views of the villages of Synevyr and Negrovets, Kamyanka, Pishkonya and Negrovets mountains.

The length of the Hlukhanya-Kosyi Verkh hiking route is 5 km and runs at an altitude of 603 to 956 m above sea level. At the beginning of the route, visitors are invited to get acquainted with the interesting flora of the Hlukhanya swamp. Hlukhanya is of scientific, educational and water-regulating importance. The bog is home to 15 species of rare and endangered plants," the video description says.