History of Transcarpathian wooden churches

At the end of the eighteenth century, all the churches of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic diocese were wooden, with the exception of a few city and monastery churches. There were about 800 of them in total.

Since 1779, all the churches on the territory of present-day Transcarpathia have been built according to three projects of stone basilicas developed in Vienna. Since then, old wooden churches have been gradually replaced by new ones. Thus, during the nineteenth century, 100 wooden churches ceased to exist in the Bereznyi district alone, and during the first half of the twentieth century, 47 churches and 11 bell towers were destroyed.

For the first time, the issue of preserving wooden architecture arose when Transcarpathia was part of the Czechoslovak Republic. Five churches that were threatened with destruction were moved to Prague, and three were moved within the region. Thus, St Michael’s Church was moved from Shelestov to Mukachevo in 1927, and from there to Uzhhorod in 1974; the Church of the Assumption from Obava was moved to the Czech Republic in 1931, and the Church of St Michael of Velyki Luchky was moved to Prague in 1929.

The next period of destruction of wooden churches began after the advent of Soviet rule. Initiative groups were created in the villages, which acted according to the scenario developed in the party offices. Under the leadership of village council chairmen and school principals, churches were dismantled for firewood. Thus, from 1945 to 1985, 26 wooden churches and 10 bell towers were destroyed. We are now witnessing the third period of church destruction. For practical reasons, people replace wooden churches with stone ones, rebuild old buildings, not realising the damage they are doing to themselves and their descendants.

Due to the significant losses in the field of wooden architecture, the cultural value of each surviving church has increased significantly.

Classification of Transcarpathian wooden churches

Scholars distinguish five styles of Transcarpathian wooden churches, including Hutsul, Lemkivsky, and Boyko, named after the ethnic groups of the Transcarpathian population, and two more – Gothic and Baroque – after the corresponding styles of stone architecture.

Lemkivska and Boikos wooden churches have preserved for posterity the ancient methods of Ukrainian church architecture, which are based on the principle of trinity – the church is divided into three parts, three log cabins, and three floors. The churches built in the Boyko style have been preserved to this day in the area of the upper reaches of the Uzh River. The Lemkivska church is located in Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life.

The Hutsul style is represented by two five-storeyed churches in Yasinya and Lazeshchyna-Plytovatne, as well as five churches in the Middle Hutsul style. Towers with baroque domes adorn 22 churches in the Volovets-Mizhhirya Verkhovyna region.

Gothic churches with high, sharp spires have been preserved in Danyliv, Kraynikiv, Oleksandrivka, Sokyrnytsia, Neresnytsia, and Nyzhnya Apsha.

The oldest Transcarpathian wooden churches that have survived to this day are St Nicholas Church, which is located in the village of Seredne Vodyane and was built in 1428, and church in the village of Kolodne, was built in 1470.

Each wooden church is an unsurpassed, masterpiece concentration of painting, carving, embroidery, unique monuments of writing and printing. Wooden churches are monuments of our presence in history, sources of inexhaustible aesthetic pleasure and one of the most attractive tourist attractions.

The most interesting Transcarpathian churches

Wooden churches on the map

State Register of Immovable Аttractions in Ukraine

The information below is based on open data (official source zakon.rada.gov.ua).

Velykyi Bereznyi district (liquidated in July 2020)

Vynohradiv district (liquidated in July 2020)

Volovets district (liquidated in July 2020)

Mizhhirya district (liquidated in July 2020)

Mukachevo district

Perechyn district (liquidated in July 2020)

Rakhiv district

Khust district