Attractions of Chernihiv region

The Piatnytska Church in Chernihiv is a classic monument of ancient Rus architecture. It is located in the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Square behind the Chernihiv Regional Academic Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater named after Taras Shevchenko.

The church in honor of Saint Paraskeva Pyatnytsa, the patroness of trade, was built at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries on the main market square of the city. Until 1786, it was the main building of the Pyatnytsky Monastery. By that time, it had already been rebuilt several times and was a seven-bath temple in the Baroque style.

During the Second World War, the Friday Church was destroyed. In 1962, it was completely restored in the original ancient Rus style according to the project of architects Petro Baranovskyi and Mykola Kholostenko.

From the outside, the Pyatnytska Church building has the appearance of a slender tower, almost square in plan, topped by a slender bathhouse, which, thanks to the original transition from the rectangle of the base to the dome, creates a characteristic feature of dynamic upward striving and pyramidal completion.

The church is active and belongs to the Chernihiv Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It is part of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv".

On August 19, 2023, in the course of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, as a result of a Russian missile attack on the center of Chernihiv, the Pyatnytska Church suffered significant damage. The explosive wave from the impact of the Iskander missile in the premises of the theater, located nearby, hit the church when the festive service was ending. The blast wave knocked out the windows, pieces of the rocket flew into the church, and damaged icons (including the icon of the patron saint of the church, which was lying on the altar).

The Museum of Rare Books named after Hryhoriy Vasylkivskyi has been operating in Nizhyn since 1985 on the basis of the fundamental library of Mykola Hohol Nizhyn State University.

It is located on the second floor of the university library in the ancient building of the Merchants' Assembly in the center of the city of Nizhyn. The museum bears the name of one of its founders, Professor Hryhoriy Vasylkivskyi.

The library is based on 2,500 volumes of the personal book collection of Count Oleksandr Kushelyev-Bezborodko, who was a trustee of the Nizhyn Gymnasium of Higher Sciences, the predecessor of the current university.

The exposition presents many unique European and Slavic editions of the 16th - early 20th centuries, including rare copies of editions of the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (Venice, 1513), Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" (1544), "Aeneid" Virgil (1567), classic editions of the works of European thinkers of the 16th-18th centuries.

The special pride of the museum is the Holy Gospel of 1689 from the Nizhyn Annunciation Monastery, a gift of Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky. The huge tome weighs almost 18 kilograms, some pages are painted by hand, the titles are gilded.

The oriental-style palace with Gothic elements was built in Vyshenky in the 18th century by the famous commander, field marshal, and president of the Little Russian College, Count Petro Rumyantsev-Zadunayskyi.

Located on a hill above a pond, the building, vaguely reminiscent of medieval castles, is successfully integrated into the landscape. It is believed that the author of the project could be the architect Dzhakomo Kvarenhi or the Russian architect Vasyl Bazhenov.

The retired field marshal created a whole complex of palaces and entertainment facilities on the territory of his estates. Here he received Catherine II during her trip to the Crimea.

Part of the Rumyantsev-Zadunayskyi Palace was dismantled in the 19th century by order of the landowner Suddiyenko, who settled here. During Soviet times, a pioneer camp was placed on the territory of the manor. Today it is a children's health camp "Suzirya". Restoration is planned.

Saint Anthony's Caves at the foot of the Boldyni Hills are the oldest shrine in Chernihiv, a unique monument of underground cult architecture of the 11th-19th centuries. It is part of the Trinity-Elijah Monastery and is part of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv".

The first cave Christian temple and monastery in Chernihiv was founded by the monk Anthony of Kiev (Anthony of the Caves) in 1069, when he left the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra he founded and returned to his homeland.

Now the Elijah cave complex has several tiers of underground galleries, a chapel, cells and three underground three-part churches. The entrance to the caves is to the left of the Saint Elijah church of the 12th century. Through it you can get to the cave part with a total length of 315 meters with the underground temples of Saint Anthony, Saint Theodosius and Saint Nicholas Sviatosha.

Archaeological excavations continue in the Saint Anthony's Caves, but most of it is equipped for visiting, excursions are held here. Visitors are especially intrigued by the legend of the ghost of a monk, who supposedly sometimes appears at the end of one of the side corridors.

On the mountain above the monastery are the Slavic mounds Bezimennyi and Gulbyshche, as well as the grave of Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky with a monument.

The Saint Elijah Church (Illinska Church) in Chernihiv is a unique monument of Old Rus sacral architecture, the only temple of the columnless type of the Ukrainian-Rus era. Located at the foot of Boldyna Mountain, it is the oldest part of the Trinity–Saint Elijah's Monastery and is part of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv".

Most researchers attribute the construction of the Saint Elijah Church to the end of the 11th century, when it served as a baptismal font. It acquired modern features of Ukrainian Baroque as a result of the reconstructions of the 17th-18th centuries. The three-tiered bell tower next to it was erected in 1908-1910.

The main feature of the interior is the use of elements of the Byzantine cross-domed system with a column-free composition of the church, which is characteristic of wooden architecture. The ancient interior decor has been lost, but now the church houses a museum exhibition, which presents fragments of plaster with the remains of fresco painting, Old Rus ceramic glazed floor tiles, etc. You can also see the carved iconostasis of 1774 in the Rococo style, which has seven tiers and is 12 meters high.

To the left of the Saint Elijah is the entrance to the Saint Anthony's Caves.

The wooden Cossack Saint George Church was founded in Sedniv, probably in the pre-Mongol period.

It is located at the height of the Crown Castle tract, in the center of the ancient settlement of Snovsk. In its current form, this richly carved church was rebuilt without a single nail in 1745 and is considered one of the best works of Ukrainian folk architecture.

In this church, dedicated to George the Victorious, the Cossacks of the Sedniv Hundred of the Chernihiv Regiment sanctified their sabers before military campaigns.

At first, George's Church was single-domed. Two additional baths were added in the course of the restoration carried out after the fire.

There is a version that the initial filming of key episodes of the popular Soviet film "Viy" based on the novel of the same name by Mykola Hohol took place in the interior of  George's Church, but the working material was not liked by the management of "Mosfilm", and all interior scenes were later shot in Moscow, in specially constructed scenery. .

Saint Nicholas Cathedral is the main temple of Nizhyn, one of the first examples of Ukrainian Baroque architecture.

The cathedral was built in 1658-1668 by Cossacks of the Nizhyn regiment at the expense of colonels Ivan and Vasyl Zolotarenko on the site of an old wooden temple. It repeats the classic techniques of Ukrainian wooden architecture in stone. A characteristic feature of the architecture of the five-domed temple is "comprehensiveness", that is, it looks the same from all sides. Inside, the carved iconostasis deserves attention.

In 1663, the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Nizhyn became the center of dramatic events associated with the "Black Council" - Ivan Bryukhovetskyi, the basket chieftain of the Zaporizhzhia Sich, was elected hetman of the Left Bank of Ukraine here, which is considered the beginning of the Ruin - the collapse of the hetman state.

According to local legend, in the same temple (still wooden) Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi married Hanna Zolotarenko, the sister of Nizhyn colonels, but in fact their wedding took place in Korsun.

In 1990, the Saint Nicholas Cathedral was restored and handed over to the religious community of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Warm Church of John the Baptist (1842), which was part of the complex, was rebuilt into the House of Culture (Batyuka Streetб 16).

Monuments to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi and Mariya Zankovetska have been installed in the park.

The Saint Nicholas Desert Rykhly Monastery was founded in 1666 by Chernihiv colonel Vasyl Mnogogrishny.

In 1757, a small Nicholas Church was built, and in 1754-1760, the five-bay Saint Nicolas Cathedral. In 1767, at the expense of Hetman Ivan Samoylovych, a belfry was built with the over-gate church of John the Baptist. There was also a cave complex that has partially survived to this day. In 1749, the Okhtyrka colonel Fedir Kachanivsky presented the monastery with a unique guardian ark, which was on the main throne of the Rykhly Monastery until 1922, and then was transferred to the Chernihiv State Museum.

By the end of the Soviet period, only the ruins of the living room, cells and monastery walls remained from the monastery complex. In 2006, the monastery again acquired the status of a monastery of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, restoration works are being carried out.

Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernihiv is one of the oldest Christian churches in Ukraine, a unique example of ancient Rus architecture. Located in the center of the former Dytynets, it was the main architectural dominant of the medieval city.

It was built in 1033-1034 for Prince Mstyslav Khorobryi, becoming his tomb. Ihor Svyatoslavovych, the hero of "A word about Ihor's campaign", is buried here.

Fragments of ancient Rus frescoes, a wonderful iconostasis of the 18th century have been preserved in the interior of the Transfiguration Cathedral. Part of the collection of gold and silver church utensils of the Transfiguration Cathedral is kept in the Chernihiv Historical Museum.

Chernihiv Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral is included in the UNESCO list of cultural values.

Nearby is the archbishop's house (1780), which now houses the archive.

Since 1967, the Transfiguration Cathedral has been part of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv".

The Church of the Three Saints in Kustivtsy in Pryluky was built in 1878 on the site of an old church founded in the 17th century.

The first temple was built at the expense of the burgher Andriн Kendyukh.

The new five-domed church in Kustivtsy is made in the so-called "parish" style.

The symbolic Triumphal Arch was erected in 1787 on the occasion of the passage of Empress Catherine II through Novhorod-Siverskyi.

The construction was financed by local nobles and merchants. On the pylons between the columns are placed shields with the coats of arms of ten districts of the Novhorod-Siversky Governorate.

The Triumphal Arch in Novhorod-Siverskyi is a unique memorial building of the High Classicism style on the Left Bank of Ukraine. Needs restoration.

The house in the pseudo-Gothic style was built at the end of the 19th century on the then northeastern outskirts of Chernihiv as a craft class of an orphanage.

In 1900-1901, it was rebuilt and expanded to accommodate the historical exposition of the famous patron Vasyl Tarnovsky, Jr., who bequeathed his unique collection of paintings and manuscripts to the city. In 1902, the Chernihiv Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities was opened in the renovated building. More than 700 items were dedicated to Taras Shevchenko.

Until 1979, the Tarnovsky House, as the building was nicknamed, housed the exposition of the Chernihiv Historical Museum, and since 1980, the regional library for youth has been located here.

RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR

On March 11, 2022, the building suffered significant damage as a result of an airstrike carried out by Russia. The Russian military aircraft dropped three high-explosive 500-kilogram bombs on the yard of the Tarnovsky House and the nearby stadium. The bomb that fell in the yard destroyed the wall of the Tarnovskyi House, the roof and the interior floors.

The Chernihiv Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Volodymyr Korolenko is located in the former building of the Noble and Peasant Land Bank in Chernihiv.

The building was built by the provincial engineer Dmytro Afanasyev according to the project of the architect Oleksandr Fon-Hohen. A two-story brick house in the Northern Art Nouveau style.

Since 1974, the Chernihiv Regional Universal Scientific Library has been housed in the former premises of the Noble Land Bank. About 30 different clubs operate on the territory of the library, literary evenings, exhibitions, presentations and conferences are constantly held.

On March 30, 2022, during the Russian-Ukrainian war, the building was heavily damaged as a result of shelling by Russian troops. The roof was broken, the windows were broken, cracks formed in the walls.

Yuryeva Bozhnytsia in Oster - the eastern part of the Saint Michael's Church, preserved from princely times. It is located on the remains of the settlement of the historic Horodets on Vostri.

The temple was probably founded by Prince Volodymyr Monomakh of Kyiv at the same time as the founding of the city in 1098. It was rebuilt in 1152 under Prince Yuriy Dolhoruky, thanks to which the popular name "Yuryeva Bozhnytsia" took root.

It suffered from Tatar raids, and in 1753 - from a lightning strike, at the beginning of the 19th century, most of the volume was dismantled due to its state of disrepair. Only the altar part - the apse and a fragment of the wall - has been preserved.

At the beginning of the 20th century, restoration and research works were carried out. An ancient fresco "Eucharist" was discovered on the wall, probably made by Kyiv masters in the 11th-12th centuries.

For almost three centuries, the Sedniv estate was the main residence of the Lyzohub noble family, which came from a Cossack sergeant in the time of Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

The first known member of the family was a simple Cossack Kindrat Lyzohub from Zolotonosha. His sons, Ivan and Yakiv, advanced from ordinary Cossacks to sergeants during the hetman's strife of the "Ruins" period. Yakiv became a colonel of Chernihiv and settled in Sedniv, and his descendants continued the arrangement of the estate he had begun.

The great reconstruction was carried out in the 19th century by brothers Andriy and Illya Lyzohub. They expanded the park and built a new manor house, and the old stone house (Lyzohub Kamyanytsya) was stylized as a small Gothic castle and converted for household needs. In their estate the brothers received the poet Taras Shevchenko, the biker Leonid Hlibov, the artist Lev Zhemchuzhnikov and other famous cultural figures of the time (monuments were erected).

In Soviet times, the manor house housed a high school (now - in a new house next door), and in another part of the manor was opened the House of Artists. Shevchenko's 600-year-old linden tree and Hlibov's romantic gazebo, in which the lyrical poem "Kruchyna" was written, have been preserved in the park.

In front of the entrance to the estate there is a monument to the former owners, art lovers and patrons Andriy and Illya Lyzohub.