The Church of St Michael the Archangel in the village of Uzhok - a unique masterpiece of Transcarpathia

«The little black ship» - that is what people nicknamed this true masterpiece of Transcarpathian folk architecture. The Church of St Michael the Archangel in the village of Uzhok in the Velykyi Bereznyi district today amazes and enchants - with its history, its beauty, the complexity of its simple forms, and the genius of its creation and setting. It is one of several unique, authentic wooden churches in Transcarpathia that have survived from as far back as the 16th-17th centuries, built without a single nail or modern tools, without drawings or plans, usually by unknown craftsmen.

Transcarpathians began calling the Church of St Michael the Archangel «the little black ship» because from the outside it really does resemble one, both in shape and in colour. The sanctuary represents the Boyko architectural style and is on the UNESCO heritage list as an incredibly valuable object of the Carpathian region on a world scale. Besides it, only one other church in Transcarpathia has been granted this honour - the Hutsul Church of the Ascension in the village of Yasinia in the Rakhiv district. And nearby, in the village of Kostryno, another rare beauty lies hidden - the wooden Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God.

The history of the building of the legendary Church of St Michael the Archangel

The church in the village of Uzhok was built back in 1745, a little above the road on a small hill, right below the Uzhok Pass and close to the legendary defensive Arpad Line. Around it stretches the picturesque, boundless Uzh Valley, which is without doubt a true treasure of the Uzhanskyi National Nature Park. Unlike other wooden churches, it is known precisely who built St Michael’s Church. All the residents of the village of Uzhok were involved in this large-scale project. The building process itself was entrusted to Pavel Toniv from the village of Bitlya (Lviv region) and Ivan Tsyhanyn from the village of Tykhyi (Transcarpathia) - skilled and experienced craftsmen. The church is made from «head to toe» of wood - beech and spruce, trident-shaped in silhouette, three-tiered, without a single nail! Wooden pegs were used instead. The church was covered with shingles - small wooden plates. The shingles themselves are treated every few years with a special oil that protects the wood from moisture and gives it its characteristic dark hue.

The church interior is fairly plain, yet it preserves unique original carvings, an 18th-century iconostasis, an ornately cut passage from the vestibule to the nave, and old books from the 17th century. The church itself is still very much loved by artists, who depict it on their canvases, and many painting and photography plein-air sessions are held here.

An unusual and ancient bell - a treasure of the Ukrainian land

Beside the sanctuary stands a Verkhovyna wooden bell tower from 1929 with two tiers, where three bells of St Michael’s Church have been preserved. The oldest of them was cast back in 1638 and is a whole century older than the church itself! The bell is unique and of great historical value, because it is suspended on a frame made of wood. In the whole world nothing like it can be found today. Moreover, scholars have discovered a curious fact: bells of precisely this type have an incredibly healing effect on the human body. This is all because their ringing echoes the oscillations of the neurons in the brain.

Churches like St Michael’s sanctuary once existed in almost every village along the upper reaches of the Uzh River. Today, according to researchers, only five remain, but three of them have been roofed with tin, which devalues them as masterpieces of the Boyko architectural school. The Church of St Michael the Archangel has managed to preserve its original appearance through the centuries. It amazes, above all, with its harmonious and perfect composition, and with how successfully it fits into the beautiful surrounding landscapes. For from here open up simply breathtaking views of the sheer mountain peaks and the stunning Uzh Valley, in which the Uzh River rises, on whose banks grew the thousand-year-old city of Uzhhorod.

You can see the unique and remarkable Church of St Michael the Archangel, learn about the ancient traditions and culture of the Lemkos and Boykos, visit places where the country’s history was made, and uncover all the secrets of the Uzh Valley during our excursion.