Attractions of Horodenka

The Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Immaculate Virgin Mary in Horodenka became the first monumental work of the famous Italian architect Bernard Meretin on Ukrainian lands.

He was invited to Horodenka for this work by the influential Polish tycoon Mykola Potoski. It was also Meretin's first joint work with the brilliant sculptor Ivan Pinzel. The iconostasis, the pulpit, the main altar, above which the image of the Mother of God is today, and two small altars belong to Pinzel's hand. After that, Meretin and Pinzel fulfilled several more orders of Potoski in Horodenka and Buchach.

In the 30s of the 19th century, a bell tower was built outside the church, and a more elegant wrought iron fence was installed around the church instead of a defensive wall.

Several of Pinzel's works from the church in Horodenka are exhibited in the sculptor's museum in Lviv, but a stele with Pinzel's original sculpture of the Virgin Mary has been preserved in front of the church.

Nearby is the monastery building.

The Armenian Church is the oldest surviving building in Horodenka.

The strict defensive temple was built at the beginning of the 18th century at the expense of the city's Armenian community, which at that time became very influential and controlled almost all trade until the first half of the next century.

The Greek Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in Horodenka in the 18th century at the expense of Mykola Vasyl Potoski.

According to legend, the temple was founded by Potoski to atone for his sin - the murder of a local girl (according to one version, these events formed the basis of the folk "Song of Bondarivna").

The author of the project is the famous architect Berdard Meretyn. Instead of the traditional cross, the temple is crowned with the "Pilyava" cross of the Potocki family coat of arms.

The iconostasis of the Church of the Assumption is similar to the iconostasis of Saint George's Cathedral in Lviv - it was also created by the outstanding Ukrainian sculptor Ivan Pinzel, who often worked together with Meretyn.

The Great Synagogue in Horodenka was built in 1743, when the Jews who settled here from the middle of the 17th century received the right to engage in crafts and trade, as well as land for building a temple.

In the 1760s, a group of supporters of Hasidism emerged in Horodenka. One of them was Nachman from Horodenka, the closest disciple of the founder of the Yisrael Baal-Shem-Tov movement.

The synagogue was reconstructed in 1885.

During the Second World War, more than 2,500 Jews were shot in Horodenka. In Soviet times, the synagogue was rebuilt.

The Horodenka City Local Lore Museum "Pokuttya" opened in 2009 in the historical building of the savings bank of the beginning of the 20th century, next to the main attraction of the city - the Immaculate Conception of Most Holy Virgin Mary Church.

The exposition presents ancient wooden furniture (tables, chests, bambetli), embroidered clothes, ceramics, a large collection of icons and photographs from centuries ago.

The exhibition "Dwelling of a Pokuttya peasant" reproduces the interior of an old village house. You can also see a collection of bricks with stamps collected at various historical sites in Horodenka.

One of the expositions reproduces the process of making a home-spun canvas, spinning workshops are held here.

The Church of Saint Nicholas was built in 1879.

At the time of construction, it was located on the northwestern outskirts of Horodenka.

It was built at the expense of the Orthodox parishioners of Horodenka.