Dovzhanka: Churches and Memorial Sites

Dovzhanka offers visitors seeking a culturally focused stay a way to explore its history primarily through church architecture and memorial sites. The village’s history is not confined to a single period: a church building, its bell tower, a newer chapel, and memorials point to different dates and themes. If you organize these features by building history, consecration, and commemorative purpose, you can get a clear sense of what interests you most about Dovzhanka.

Church architecture and its milestones

The stone Church of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in Dovzhanka was built in 1795 and restored in 1996. Its bell tower was built of hewn stone in 1905. The three dates refer to different events: 1795 to the construction of the church, 1905 to the construction of the bell tower, and 1996 to the restoration of the church building. Distinguishing between the church and the tower helps place the building history in its proper context. The tower marks a later construction date; the restoration, in turn, represents another chapter in the history of the stone church.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help dates from another period. It was built in Dovzhanka in 2009 with funding from supporters Igor Yunyk and Kostiantyn Kizyma. Father Pavlo-Roman Repela consecrated it that same year. Construction, funding, and consecration are different aspects of the same year. Compared with the church dating from 1795, the chapel belongs to a much more recent period of construction. The named supporters and priest also indicate who was involved in its construction and consecration.

Memorial sites and their themes

The memorial sites also differ in theme and date. Dovzhanka is home to a symbolic grave of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen dating from 1992. A memorial cross commemorates the abolition of corvée labor in the second half of the 19th century. There is also a monument erected in 1972 to local soldiers who fell in the German-Soviet War. These memorials commemorate different subjects: the Sich Riflemen, the abolition of corvée labor, and local soldiers who fell in the war. Their dates also differ: 1992 and 1972 are the years associated with the respective memorials, while the memorial cross is linked to a historical event and a longer period.

Another historical reference lies near the present-day village site. The former settlement was two kilometers from the current site of Dovzhanka village. A Cossack grave and a cross are located at the former settlement site. These two memorials should be distinguished geographically from the buildings and memorial sites located in Dovzhanka. Note also the two different crosses: the memorial cross in Dovzhanka commemorates the abolition of corvée labor; the cross at the former settlement site is one of the memorials located there.

Choose your cultural focus

For your planning, a simple thematic distinction may help: the church, bell tower, and chapel relate to building and consecration history; the memorial sites relate to different people and events. The former settlement site is a separate point of interest near the village. Check access to the individual sites before planning a specific visit.

Discover more destinations: Husiatyn, Kremenets, Chortkiv, Berezhany, Borshchiv, Smykivtsi, Ternopil, Monastyryska.

For the regional travel overview: Ternopil Oblast.