The wooden churches of Transcarpathia - the pride of the region and a world heritage

The wooden churches of Transcarpathia - are yet another, and indeed enormous, proof that Ukraine, like no other, possesses the most precious architectural and historical treasures, whose equals are not to be found anywhere in the world.

One could speak endlessly of the many features of Transcarpathia that make it a truly remarkable region, whose depth and beauty you could go on discovering for a lifetime.

But its complex history, the intertwining of diverse peoples, nationalities, cultures and traditions gave rise to distinctive expressions of architectural creativity, which developed on the territory of the present-day Transcarpathian region.

A diversity of architectural styles and the unique value of the wooden churches of Transcarpathia

Thus, today Transcarpathia boasts the richest cultural and historical heritage. Its most important part is the wooden churches - unique buildings created by truly gifted masters of a bygone era. To this day it inspires genuine admiration that these wooden churches of Transcarpathia were built without a single nail. And all the while they retain a distinctive style that is the characteristic hallmark of one particular district alone.

That is not to mention the fact that these architectural landmarks astonish with their authentic and majestic beauty, their harmonious forms, which fit into the natural landscape in a wondrous way. It is believed that the folk masters who created these churches deliberately built them in such a way and in such a place that they would not only fail to spoil the natural landscape but would become a fully-fledged addition to it.

There is even a legend about one of the most famous wooden churches of Transcarpathia - the Church of St Michael, located in the Velykyi Bereznyi district. Long ago the church was even moved a little lower down, having been completely assembled and taken apart piece by piece.

A rare church - in almost every region of Transcarpathia

At present Transcarpathia counts more than a hundred wooden churches, and over forty of these temples were built as far back as the 20th century. Each of these hundred churches is interesting in its own way from an architectural point of view. Thirty-three of them are entered on the official list of monuments of historical and cultural heritage.

And a few years ago, at the 37th session of the honourable UNESCO World Heritage Committee, a project was approved as a result of which eight wooden churches of Ukraine received the official status of UNESCO World Heritage. Two of these churches are in Transcarpathia. These are the Church of St Michael in the village of Uzhok, in the Velykyi Bereznyi district, and the Strukivska Church in the village of Yasinia.

From other wooden temples in Ukraine, the Transcarpathian ones differ in their diversity of styles and the distinctiveness of their forms. Five principal architectural styles of the wooden churches of Transcarpathia are usually distinguished:

• Lemko,
• Boyko,
• Hutsul,
• Baroque,
• Gothic.

It is believed that the names of some of them derive from the names of the ethnic groups that once lived on the territory of present-day Transcarpathia.

But the main feature of the wooden churches of Transcarpathia is that most of them are not museums today. In many of these temples services are still held to this very day.

What is more, all the most interesting wooden churches of Transcarpathia are set in incredibly beautiful, natural places of the region. This is one more reason to see at least a few of them during your visit to Transcarpathia.