In the village of Iltsi, Verkhovyna district, Ivano-Frankivsk region, located at a distance of 43 kilometers (if you drive along the highway) from our guest house “Chillax”, there is a unique ancient Church of the Holy Trinity (belongs to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine).
It is worth noting that the first written mention of the Church of the Holy Trinity in this village dates back to 1741. From the then church to the present day, only the central dome cross and the central wooden candlestick have survived, and the oldest surviving church books date back to 1785.
The temple that stands in the village of Iltsi now was built in the second half of the 19th century. First, a bell tower and a small temple were built, and then local parishioners decided to build a larger structure. There are recollections of old-timers that a new church was built around a small existing one. The construction of today’s Shrine began in 1864. And when a new church was built in 1881, the old one was dismantled and handed over to the community of the neighboring village of Voronenko.
In 1854, priest Sofron Vitvitsky was appointed rector of the parish in Zhabye-Iltsy. He repeatedly appealed to the Sejm with requests for the release of local residents from certain types of hard work (labor duties) and the abolition of certain taxes, wrote poetry and drama, studied the Hutsul region and life.
In 1863 Fr. Sofron Vitvitsky publishes an ethnographic work about the Hutsuls, which was published in Polish in Lviv. Here he provided an interesting detailed map of the Hutsul region he expanded. Fr. died Sofron in 1879 and was buried in the churchyard. Based on the memories of old-timers, it was possible to find his grave and arrange it.
The newly built church was consecrated in 1900. The first cross in the churchyard was laid by Kozma Khimchak in 1883. This cross was of good quality, made from a fireplace, so it has survived to this day. The trees around the church were planted by local resident Gulyuk, who is also buried in the church yard. The paintings in the church were done by artists Pstrak Yaroslav Vasilyevich (who was deservedly called the “Ukrainian Michelangelo”) and Osip Kurilas in 1901.
June 14, 2009 marked the 190th anniversary of the birth and 130 years of the repose of Fr. Sofron Vitvitsky – church and public figure, writer, ethnographer, playwright, ambassador to the Seimas from the Hutsul region, author of the first research work “Historical Essay on the Hutsuls”, priest of the village of Zhabye-Iltsy, who gave 25 years of service to the Iltsiv parish.
A memorial plaque to O. Sofron was installed on the facade of the church. At the same time, with the participation of the village activists, the rector of the church and the church committee, the opening of the museum of the Church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Iltsy took place, which at that time was the first museum of the church in the Hutsul region.
Therefore, we advise all guests of our Chillax hotel: it will be very interesting and useful for the soul to visit this ancient unique temple, which has the status of an architectural monument of local significance, as well as its museum.
Where is located
Iltsi, Ivano-Frankivsk region.
