Church of St. Panteleimon 12th Century with Bell Tower in Shevchenkove

Background. The Flourishing of Halych

Ancient Halych at the time of its greatest prosperity (late 11th – mid 13th centuries) was the capital of the most powerful principality of Kyivan Rus. It occupied a vast territory stretching 5.5 km from south to north and over 11 km from east to west.

In addition, the borders of Halych encompassed numerous lands in the valleys of the Dniester, Narayivka, Hnyla Lypa, and Limnytsia rivers, as well as hills near the city, where observation points and numerous defensive structures were established.

With the flourishing of the Halych-Volyn principality, Halych itself was actively developed. It was during this time that a huge number of monasteries and princely residences sprang up along the high banks of the Limnytsia and Dniester rivers, particularly in places where the main roads crossed various natural obstacles – rivers, slopes, ravines, etc.

Extremely advantageous was the location of the complex of buildings near the Church of the Savior, which researchers believe was the residence of Prince Volodymyrko Volodymyrovych himself. It was located above Kaminnyi Vyvoz, from where the road led west and where the crossing was visible at the point where the Limnytsia flowed into the Dniester. This road was controlled from a fortified settlement, where the Church of St. Panteleimon was located.

History of the Church of St. Panteleimon
Foundation

In 1194, near Ancient Halych, on the territory of Vynohradne Hill, Prince Roman Mstyslavovych built a very beautiful, majestic temple, which was a true adornment of the local lands, where the village of Shevchenkove is now located. The Orthodox church was consecrated in the name of Panteleimon (as historians believe, in honor of the grandfather of Roman Mstyslavovych, Prince Iziaslav, whose Christian name was Panteleimon).

13th–16th centuries

In the second half of the 13th century, Halych completely lost its capital status, and the church began to slowly decline. Later, about 100 years later, the temple passed into the hands of Catholics, who made it a cathedral church. The church also began to be called differently – the Church of St. Stanislaus. The temple stood until 1575, when it was destroyed by the Tatars.

Late 16th – early 20th centuries

By 1595, the ruins of the church were handed over to the Franciscans, who rebuilt everything between 1598 and 1611 and even added defensive walls and a whole monastic complex. As a result of the construction work, the temple changed its appearance and transformed into a true basilica in the Baroque style.

Over the next 400 years, the church suffered repeatedly: in 1676 – at the hands of the Turks during their campaign against Halych, in 1802 – during a terrible fire that occurred in the monastery, and during World War I – as a result of cannon fire...

Restoration of the Church of St. Panteleimon

The church was restored and returned to its previous appearance only in 1926 after restoration (at that time, only the main portal could not be repaired). During the work, the interior was completely restored.

A new impetus for the revival of the shrine was given by the visit to the church in 1991 of Cardinal Ivan Lubachivskyi of the UGCC. And already in 1998, the Church of St. Panteleimon was completely restored and ultimately acquired its modern appearance, closely resembling what it had during the princely times.

Bell Tower

Next to the Church of St. Panteleimon is another architectural monument – a two-tiered bell tower, square in plan. It was built in the early 17th century during the reconstruction of the temple by the Franciscans. In former times, the lower tier of the structure served as an entrance gate, while the upper one was actually the bell tower and a defensive tower.

The address and contact phone number can be found on the main site of the portal.