Moshchanytsya: Earthworks and the Church of the Holy Trinity

If you are considering Moshchanytsya as a destination for a hotel stay, two preserved earthworks and the Church of the Holy Trinity give the place a distinct cultural and historical character. The sites differ in their layout, location, and surviving structural features; together, they point to the place’s former defensive role. The connection with the Jesuit order is also part of the fortifications’ history. When choosing a destination, you can therefore consider whether historic defensive architecture and a distinctive church building are among the subjects that interest you.

The first fortification on the eastern edge of the village

On the eastern edge of the village, the first fortified site lies on a promontory bounded by two stream valleys. Its rectangular layout can be made out from the surviving square bastions at the corners. An earth rampart runs along all four sides and rises 1.5 to 2 meters above the interior. The ditch varies in depth depending on the direction: it reaches up to 3.5 meters in the north and no more than 2 meters on the other sides. For this site, the measurements refer to different structural features: the rampart’s height is measured relative to the interior, while the ditch’s depth is given by direction.

A second archaeological site in the northwest

The second archaeological site is in the northwestern part of the village, one kilometer from the rectangular fortified site. It has a pentagonal layout and measures 200 by 200 meters; only part of it survives. A further specific measurement can be given for the straight eastern section of the rampart: it is about 170 meters long and 2 to 2.5 meters high. The two sites can therefore be distinguished by different features: on one side, a rectangular site with bastions and measurements for the ditch and rampart; on the other, a pentagonal, partially preserved site with a measured eastern section.

Jesuits, defense, and local history

Both bastion-type earthworks survive in Moshchanytsya as ruins known as “Kozatski valy.” Their fortifications served to defend against enemies, especially the Tatars. In 1627, Princess Anna-Aloiza Chodkiewicz (Ostrogska) granted Moshchanytsya, among other properties, to the Jesuit order. A Jesuit college had previously been founded in Ostroh; the proceeds were intended to fund its construction and upkeep. This history thus links the fortifications’ military role with the intended use of the proceeds for a college in Ostroh.

Church of the Holy Trinity, built in 1935

Another distinctive building is the Church of the Holy Trinity, built in 1935. Its architecture stands out for an unusual bend in the middle section, a uniquely shaped dome, and vertical ribbon windows arranged in pairs. These features affect different parts of the building: the bend defines the middle, the dome shapes the roofline, and the windows, with their recurring paired motif, define the wall’s articulation. This makes it possible to identify the church not only by its year of construction but also by the combination of its unusual forms.

Discover more destinations: Velyka Omelyana, Babyn, Kozlyn, Obariv, Rivne, Birok, Klevan, Kolodenka.

See the regional travel overview: Rivne Oblast.