Churches & Castles of Ternopil Region
For centuries the Ternopil area has been a border region where Volhynia and Galicia come together. So it’s no mystery why churches, cathedrals, and castles we see during our day tour differ so much from one another: from the famous Orthodox Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra to the charming blue pointed domes of Volyn churches in the Kremenets region and Gothic monasteries and cathedrals of the town of Pidkamin.
In the morning you meet your Lviv guide and after 2-hour drive we make our first stop at the largest Orthodox temple complex and monastery in Western Ukraine – Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra. It stands on a rocky hill, over 75 meters above the town, gazing down on Pochaiv city dwellers and their daily pastimes. While tourists come to see the architecture and to experience the unusual energy of this land, true believers come here because of the Lavra’s reputation for making miracles happen. During our 1h visit you see the main relics of the monastery: the miracle-working icon of Pochaiv Mother of God, wonder-making hallows of Saint Yov, and the footprint left by the Mother of God where a holy spring lies.
After this inspirational stop we board our minibus once again to head to Kremenets where we have our second 1h walk. We explore the ruins of the Kremenets fortress located on the steep hills of Bona’s mountain and listen to the stories of that legendary impregnable citadel that had been charged by many famous invaders such Hungarian king Andrew the Second (1226) and Batu Khan (1240 – 1241). We continue with the historical center of Kremenets and enjoy the view of Saint Stanislav Catholic church, the Saint Mykolai Cathedral (17th century), Jesuit College (18th century) and Saint Exaltation nunnery (18th century).
We have 30 min lunch break before you get on board for a short ride to the Zbarazh Castle – one of the masterpieces of the fortification of the Ternopil region, widely known thanks to the events connected with the national liberation struggle of Ukrainian Cossacks, led by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky. A fortified settlement has existed in Zbarazh since 1211, but after its destruction by the Mongol-Tatars, the area was abandoned for centuries until a new castle was built in the 17th century. After walking through a beautiful park and exploring the walls of the reconstructed palace, we enter inside and enjoy the collection of weapons used in times of Middle Ages.
One the way back to Lviv we make 30 min stop in a small town of Pidkamin that features a bizarre rock formation that gave the town its name (“Under Rock” in English). A giant rock in the middle of a green meadow surrounded with 17th century Cossack crosses… And above all this – walls of a 13th century Dominican monastery and a bell tower of Voznesennya catholic church from the 17th century. Though the Greek-Catholic monastery of Pidkamin is currently being renovated, it is too impressive not to visit. And it gives the perfect excuse to see some of Ukraine’s beautiful countryside.
Highlights:
1. Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra
Second only to Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra, Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra is an important Orthodox religious center and one of the most beautiful monasteries in Ukraine. A legend claims that the cloister appeared in the 13th century, when Orthodox monks fled from the Mongol-Tatar invasion, going west and settling on the mountain. The monks called it... 2. Zbarazh castle
In Middle Ages Ternopil Region had a plenty of castles and fortresses as frequent wars and battles made every town to built fortifications. Some fortresses, like Zbarazh castle, can be seen even today. Founded in 13th century, the fortress was destroyed by the Mongol-Tatars twice in 1474 and in 1598, but rebuilt again when in... 3. Pidkamin
Now a village, Pidkamin used to be the Town under the Stone a name the settlement got from an inselberg, called the “devils rock”, located on the adjacent hill. Legend has it that once it sheltered 12 monks fleeing Kyiv in 1234 during the devastating invasion by Batu Khan. Pidkamin and the monastery of the...
