Attractions of Tykhomel

The Arian Tower-Chapel in Tykhomel near Yampil in the Khmelnytskyi region is a unique monument of sacred architecture, the only such building in Ukraine. It is located on the territory of the early medieval hillfort of the 11th–13th centuries on the high bank of the Horyn River.

The chapel in Tykhomel was built in the first half of the 17th century by the Ukrainian nobleman Abraham Seniuta, who was a follower of Calvinism (a branch of Protestantism). He and his descendants are also credited with adherence to Arianism - an early Christian doctrine that was considered heretical.

In the 16th–17th centuries, Arianism was widespread in Eastern Europe, and, in particular, in Volhynia. The Arians denied the triune essence of God, that is, the Holy Trinity, asserting the superiority of God the Father over the God the Son created by him – Jesus Christ.

The frescoed chapel was built on a mound, on the site of the ancient Rus hillfort of Tykhomel. It is believed that it was the burial place of the son of its founder – Petro Seniuta. Later, the chapel served as a tower of the fortress built here. It has been preserved in ruins.

The defense ramparts of the chronicled ancient Rus city of Tykhomel (Tykhoml) are located on the banks of the Horyn River on the outskirts of Yampil near the modern village of Tykhomel.

According to one of the versions, the fortification was built by order of the Kyiv Prince Volodymyr the Great at the end of the 10th century. The city was first mentioned in 1152 during the war between the Kyiv prince Izyaslav Mstyslavych and the Galician prince Volodymyrko Volodarevych. In 1214, the city was captured by the troops of the Hungarian king, but soon it was repulsed by the Galicia-Volyn prince Danylo Romanovych. Subsequent internecine wars devastated the city, and it soon lost its importance.

In the 16th century, these lands became the property of Vilnius bishop Yanush, who founded the nearby town of Yampil, and the ancient Tykhomel has since disappeared from the maps.

A panorama of the valley of the Horyn river opens from the walls of the fortified settlement. Nearby are the ruins of the only Arian chapel of the 16th century in Ukraine.