Historical outline

The village is situated on the right bank of the Gniezny River, 7 kilometres south of the much larger Trembowla and just 2 kilometres north-east of Justinian Podhajchy. The oldest mention of Zalavi dates back to the 15th century. Over the centuries, the estate was ruled by, among others, Jan of Zalawie, Mikolaj Trojan (15th century), the Ledóchowskis (17th century) and the Jablonskis (19th and 20th centuries). At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the village had 817 inhabitants, including 115 Roman Catholics. The main occupation in Załawie was basketry.

Until the 1930s, the village was subordinate to the parish in Trembowla. In 1935, it was annexed to the parish of Justinian Podhajczyki. The Catholic inhabitants had already longed to have their own religious building, however small and symbolic. However, the plans initiated at the beginning of the 20th century were not realised. The concept was revisited in 1932, with a simplified version of Tadeusz Obmiński's design decided upon. Construction was then organised, and the building was ready just three years later. It was then that the chapel was consecrated, acquiring the name of the "Finding of the Holy Cross".

Under the domination of the USSR, the chapel was used as a grain storehouse and later as a warehouse for agricultural chemicals. In 1991, the building was taken over by the local Uniate church. The chapel was cleaned up and equipped, but is rarely used today.

Architecture

The building is located in the centre of the village. The façade faces the road. The chapel is built of beige-grey sandstone. The cross on the front is made of red sandstone. The body of the chapel consists of a three-bay nave and a trilateral closed altar part, the width of which corresponds to the outline of the body of the chapel. The chancel is separated by a semicircular closed arcade of the icosahedron. In addition, this module is divided into three parts. In the centre is the altar, and on the sides are placed two spaces on the trapezoidal plan, on the right an open space, acting as a kind of niche, and on the left a closed space, used as a sacristy.

The facades are set on a plinth and formed of irregularly worked sandstone blocks. The façade is tripartite. The central field is risalitic and the side fields are widened by buttresses. The risalit imitates a three-storey tower. It closes with a hipped roof, which forms a kind of optical base for the lantern, in this case the upper part of the tower. Apart from this part, the most striking feature is the large cross made of red sandstone, which is placed below the finial. Its lower part is flanked by rectangular niches closed with semicircles and reaches almost to the cornice closing the first storey. In the field of the first storey there is an entrance opening framed by carefully cut sandstone fragments.

The chapel is covered by a gable roof. This changes to a multi-pitch roof over the closure. The roof slopes and side walls of the turret are covered with sheet metal. The turret's helmet is covered with tin scales in a chequered pattern, laid out diagonally.

The interior was plastered and covered with wooden pseudo-vaults. There is a mirrored vault (i.e. with a built-in mirror) over the nave section and a barrel vault over the chancel. The entrance and window openings in the building are mainly rectangular, closed with a semicircle. Access to the wooden music choir is via a steep staircase, located to the right of the entrance. The floor is made of rectangular sandstone slabs.

In his study of the building, Marcin Biernat describes the condition of the building as good, while pointing out the lack of original furnishings (apart from the six Stations of the Cross paintings). The belfry, gate and fence are also missing. The local church contains a painting of the Prayer in the Garden.

Name: Public chapel of the Holy Cross in the Church of the Assumption. Finding of the Holy Cross in Zalawie

Current functioning name: Public chapel of the Ukrainian Unity Church

Division: architecture

Location: Ukraine, district: Ternopil, locality: Zalavie

Author: J. Pasieczny, based on a design by Tadeusz Obmiński

Date of construction: 1935 r.

Technical data: Brick structure