Historical outline

Podhajczyki, formerly known as "Justinian Podhajczyki", is located 7 kilometres south of the much larger Trembowla, on the western side of the Seret River, on the road to Janow and Budzanow. The oldest mention of the place dates back to the 15th century. At that time, the estate, which included Podhajczyki, belonged to "Volczek". The next century was a time of great unrest. In the 16th century, Tatars and Wallachians in the Podhajczyki area slaughtered several thousand captives from the region, including those from Trembowla. There were many more similar incidents, which today would be described as acts of genocide, in the area. One of the hills was called the 'gallows'.

In the second half of the century, Podhajczyki gained administrative autonomy. In the 18th century, the village belonged to Count Jan Skarbek. At that time, there was a magnificent manor house and farm buildings in the village. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the estate was ruled by Rafał Korytkowski, then by his son Karol. From the 1860s, the estate belonged to the Koziebrodzki family. It was thanks to this family that the Podhajczyki estate was greatly expanded and enriched. A special role, in this context, was played by Justyn Koziebrodzki.

Marcin Biernat, in his study of the site and the village, cites:

"Justyn Koziebrodzki acquired Podhajczyki " in a desolate state" , but he "improved the farm" so much that in the second half of the 19th century the village was described as one of the " rare villages in Podolia with decent buildings" . Koziebrodzki built a brick and stone "dwelling house" in Podhajczyki, "beautified the garden" and "introduced the breeding of correct horses and cattle", as well as opening a brick and tile factory. Koziebrodzki's activities were not limited to his property. It was mainly due to his efforts that the district authorities built a road through Podhajczyki, connecting Trembowlę with the transversal railway, with a bridge over the Seret at Janów' . It was during his time that deposits of "the finest grey stone were discovered in Podhajczyki, from which, as from Tremblovsk, excellent material of the greatest size could be produced" ."

It was during this period of prosperity, at the turn of the 20th century, that a decision was made in the village to build a fully-fledged religious building. Up to then, Podhajczyki had been subordinate to the parish in Janov. Construction of the temple began in 1906 and was completed in 1911, when it was consecrated. In the same year, the Ministry of Religious Worship and Education gave permission for the creation of an independent parish in Podhajczyki. From 1912, there was an exposition in the village, which only gained full status in 1925.

The temple in Podhajchyky was built mainly with the extremely generous contributions of parishioners, but unfortunately "without professional leadership". As Marcin Biernat cites in his study of the building, this resulted in "a number of deficiencies and insufficiencies throughout", and a serious issue was the dampness caused by a lack of drainage. In addition, the too-small eaves of the roof caused rainwater to run off onto the facades and compounded the problem. In 1913, therefore, the necessary repair and preventive work was carried out, which saved the building.

The Second World War, especially in its declining phase, brought a time of great unrest. Due to the terror of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the last parish priest, Father Leopold Dopart, served the parish by commuting from Trembowla from 1944 to 1945. However, he eventually left Podhajczyki, handing over the keys to a trusted Polish village leader. The church furnishings, along with most of the parishioners, went to Szybowice and Maciejowice near Opole.

Today, the building is used by the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and bears the name of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God. It is worth noting that a wooden Church of the Elevation of the Cross already existed in Podhajczyki. It was built in 1754 and survived until the end of the 19th century.

Near the village, there are also valuable prehistoric tombs and archaeological sites from the Middle Palaeolithic period and the Tripoli culture. The latter are dated to the 4th to 3rd millennium BC.

Architecture

The building is located on the south-western edge of the village, on the road leading from Trembowla to Janov and Budzanov. It was built using irregularly hewn sandstone fragments, focusing, however, on the parts that make up the details. In other words, the cornices and frames were shaped smoothly.

The church consists of a three-nave, three-bay body with the main nave being wider than the side naves (the so-called hall layout) and a lower, single-bay altar part (the same width as the central nave), which faces west and is closed with a straight wall.

An annexe is attached to the front of the nave section, which houses a brick music choir on the first floor. It is accessed via a spiral staircase located in a turret at the side. Downstairs, below the choir, porticoes with pointed arcades are arranged in an asymmetrical manner. In turn, a three-storey tower of square plan is built into the first bay to the east. Its walls extend beyond the general outline of the body. The ground floor houses the Passion Chapel.

As Marcin Biernat writes in his study of the building, the unusual asymmetry that characterises the design is a fully conscious break with neo-Gothic modernist influences. It is most likely that the author of the temple took this inspiration from British buildings. Teodor Talowski was in the United Kingdom at the end of the 19th century, and it is likely that it was then that he became enamoured with such concepts, after which he transferred them to Eastern Europe. In the building under discussion, this synthesis is exemplified by, among other things: an asymmetrical façade, composed in two planes with ogival windows and other elements characteristic of Neo-Gothic (such as a large circular window in the façade and a high ogival rectangular window in the main tower), asymmetrical annexes flanking the presbytery, housing the sacristy and the storeroom. The articulation of the external façades was mostly carried out with buttresses, supporting the side walls of the main body and the corners of the chancel.

The main body is covered by a gable roof, as are the vestry and the portico of the north façade. The chancel is topped by a three-pitched roof, and the annexes at the altar area and the vestibule of the sacristy by a pent roof. The turret, which houses the staircase (access to the choir), is covered by a half pyramidal roof. The front tower was formerly topped by a tent roof. Today it is covered by a dome, typical of eastern churches. All the slopes and helmets are covered with sheet metal.

In the centre, the inter-nave pillars are striking, arranged on a cross-shaped plan. They are crowned with capitals in the form of beam sections. Pilasters of the same shape and with identical capitals are arranged on the so-called "main walls". All arcades (including the rainbow arcade) are pointed arches. Cross vaults are used in the main part and the Passion Chapel. The altar area and the space above the choir are crowned with barrel vaults that differ in certain details. The annexes in the chancel and under the choir have Klein ceilings, in other words flat ceilings reinforced with steel beams.

Among the most important elements of the church's furnishings, decoration and surroundings are or were:

• The main altar, in neo-Gothic style, containing, among others, the coat of arms of the Koziebrodzki family "Jastrzębiec" and life-size sculptures: Our Lady with Child (Mater Admirabilis), Saint Leopold the Confessor and Saint Rose of Lima, made of polychrome gilded wood;
• Neo-Gothic, cherry-coloured, partly gilded side altar with sculptures in polychrome wood depicting, among others: Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Michael the Archangel;
• Organ with two keyboards, eight registers;
• Neo-Gothic stained glass windows, dating from the early 20th century, decorated with floral motifs with hierograms;
• Paintings, including but not limited to: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady Queen of Poland and Christ Scourged (described as "very old" according to sources);
• A wall of irregular stone blocks surrounding the church grounds;
• Bell tower-gate of stone blocks;
• Koziebrodzki burial chapel located in the cemetery, dated 1885.

The building is in good condition, although the original furnishings are missing from the site except for the remains of the stained glass windows, baptismal font, stoup, feretron frame and Stations of the Cross. Now converted into an Orthodox church, it has taken on stylistic features characteristic of Eastern churches, but its main body has remained unchanged.

Name: Parish Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Justinian Podhajczyki

Name functioning today: Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Podhajczyki Justynovy Name functioning today. Name currently functioning: Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Podhajczyki

Division: architecture

Location: Ukraine, District: Ternopil, Village: Podhajczyki Justynowe

Author: Teodor Talowski

Date of construction: 1911 r.

Technical data: Stone masonry object