Church of St. Paraskeva, Kosmach

In the village of Kosmach, Kosiv district, Ivano-Frankivsk region, there is the Church of St. Paraskeva. The building has survived only as a fragment of the bell tower. Although people fought for their church, unfortunately, it did not survive.

• The church was called "Dovbusheva".
• Not a single nail was used during the construction of the church
• The church is on the list of places worth seeing

The church was built in 1735. Initially, the church belonged to the local Orthodox community, and later the building was rededicated as a Greek Catholic church. The locals asked to open a museum in it, but they were denied. In 1983, the church burned down in a fire. In 1995, the foundation stone of the new church was laid and consecrated. Nowadays, a chapel stands on the site of the church, as only the bell tower has survived to this day.

The iconostasis was removed from the building. Some Ukrainians are familiar with the iconostasis from the painting Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. It was taken away by the world-famous film director Sergei Yosypovych Parajanov, who filmed Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors in the sixties. The Dovzhenko Kyiv Film Studio borrowed the iconostasis and a few other items from the church for their upcoming film. A lot of time passed, but the borrowed shrines were never returned. The iconostasis was transferred to the National Art Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv.

According to legend, the money for the construction of this church was given by Oleksa Dovbush, who himself helped with the construction. In 1946, the church was under the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church. But after a fire, namely in the 1990s, the destroyed church building came under the leadership of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Today, the Holy Trinity Church is located nearby and continues the tradition. The iconic iconostasis has returned.

Getting there.
You can get there by car or public transport. The journey from Ivano-Frankivsk takes up to two hours.