St. Michael's Church, Isaiah

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The wooden church of St. Michael the Archangel was built in 1663 by Ilya Pantelimon. It is an architectural monument of national importance, located in the center of the village, by the road, near the stone church. The earliest information about the church can be found in documents dating back to 1507.

After that, the church underwent reconstruction in 1801. The building is one of the few examples of a church with a porch. It consists of a square nave, a faceted altar, and a rectangular chancel. Tiny wings, hidden under the eaves, adjoin the nave to the south and north, at its eastern wall. All the volumes are crowned with octagonal tops (above the nave with one fold), topped with onion-shaped domes with small lanterns and crosses on the tops. An emporium with an open arcade gallery is arranged above the narthex on the second tier. The church is surrounded by a wide porch supported by carved pillars. Now the space in front of the chancel has been turned into a closed porch. The walls of the narthex and octagonal sections are covered with shingles. The roofs, porches, and dome are also covered with shingles.

Together with the bell tower, which dates back to 1722, the church is a nationally significant architectural monument. The bell tower used to serve as a gateway to the churchyard. It is a square four-tiered building, with the first tier being log and the upper tiers being pillared. The second four-tiered tier has an open arcade gallery. The third and fourth tiers are eight-sided, also with arcade galleries. The bell tower is covered with an eight-sided shingle roof.

In 1928-1938, the construction of a new brick church of St. Michael the Archangel, designed by Yevhen Nahirnyi, was completed. After World War II, the church was used as a collective farm warehouse. In 1990 it was renovated and consecrated.

Today, the wooden church, one of the "original Carpathian trinity" (churches in Skole, Verkhnia Rozhanka, and Isaiah) is not in a good condition, as young trees are beginning to grow on the north side, on the roof. On the southern side of the shrine, the grave of an unknown priest stands alone, under the protection of the church, and in the eastern part of the churchyard you can see two chapels.

In general, the church of St. Michael the Archangel inspires a kind of respect, as if it were something strong and powerful. It seems as if it is dug into the ground and no one can destroy it. If you are in these parts, I recommend that you visit it.