Historical outline

The village lies about 10 kilometres north-west of the much larger Chortkov. The earliest historical mention of Rydoduby dates back to 1680, when the village was one of the administrative units located right on the Polish-Turkish border. The most important owners over the centuries include the Potocki family (18th century), the Witwicki family (beginning of the 19th century), the Zarudzki family (beginning of the second half of the 19th century), and the Ochotski family (from the 1860s).

At first the village was subordinated to the parish in Chomiakówka. In 1937 it became part of the newly established parish in Bialoboznica. In her study of the site and the village, Katarzyna Brzezina points out that there were relatively few Roman Catholics in Rydoduby.

In 1911, the then owner of the estate, Antoni Zawadzki-Ochocki, organised a meeting to form a committee to build a chapel. The process dragged on due to various circumstances. First there was a conflict between the inhabitants and Zawadzki-Ochocki, then there were difficulties in relation to agreeing on a specific design. Reportedly, Ochocki had the will to build a low-maintenance building. Then came the First World War and the collected material was taken away by the Austrian army to repair the road.

In 1922, the formation of a new committee took place, whose activities led to the acceleration of the construction of the chapel, which was to serve as a branch church. The foundation stone was laid a year later and the design was approved almost simultaneously. Construction was completed in the early 1930s. The consecration took place in 1931.

The Second World War spared the building, although the bell was taken away by German troops in 1943. In 1945, the authorities ordered the priest Jakub Matyshyn to move to Rydoduby from Bialoboznica. Between 1945 and 1946, the Polish part of the population left the village.

Under the domination of the USSR, the chapel's affiliation changed. Initially, in 1947, it was possible to register the shrine, but three years later the authorities annexed it as a grain warehouse. The furnishings were saved by transporting them to Chomiakovo. In 1951, the building was returned to the Roman Catholic parishioners.

Until 1963, the church was served by a priest from Borshchov. Later, the community organised prayers in the chapel itself. In 1979, the authorities again took over the church and converted it into a film depot. In 1989, the community managed to reclaim the building, which was soon made the centre of the parish. Renovations were carried out in the early 1990s. The consecration took place in 1991.

Today, the former chapel functions as a fully-fledged church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Architecture

The building is situated at the southern end of the village, not far from the Orthodox Church. The road to Bialoboznica runs alongside it. The church was built of stone and plastered. It was built on the plan of a Latin cross. It consists of a three-bay nave flanked by a pair of rectangular chapels situated just in front of the pentagonal enclosed presbytery, the width of which corresponds to that of the main body and faces north. A rectangular vestry is attached to the altar area.

The façades are set on a low plinth with a neatly laid thread. The façade is single-axis, single-storey and closed with a wavy gable, which is crowned with a cross. The entrance opening is sharp-arched. Above this is a circular window and in the gable field is a rectangular window closed with a pointed arch. Both window openings are framed with neatly carved mouldings. Above, the outer facades are surrounded by a profiled cornice, interrupted at the front walls of the chapels. They are closed from above by a gable similar to the gable of the façade. A circular window is located in the gable area of the left-hand chapel and a panel in the shape of a Latin cross in the right-hand chapel.

The nave, chapels and altar area are covered by pitched roofs. The gable roof only transitions to a pyramidal roof above the chancel. The sacristy, located next to the altar area, is covered with a pent roof. The turret was built on a hexagonal ground plan and covered with a pyramidal roof with a knop and cross. All roof parts are covered with sheet metal.

The articulation of the inner walls of the nave section was carried out with wall-mounted pillars with bases and capitals in the form of sections of multiply moulded cornice, onto which the vaulting grottoes flow. Attention is also drawn to the similar, slightly pointed arcades of the iris and the clearances between the nave and the chapels. In contrast, there is no articulation in the altar area. The nave and chapels were closed with a cross-ribbed vault, typical of Gothic and Neo-Gothic. The presbytery was covered with an umbrella vault and the sacristy with a ceiling. Most of the windows in the building are rectangular and pointed-arch closed.

The choir is made of brick. It is supported by two columns and two half-columns on plinths with Tuscan-like capitals. Access to it is via an iron spiral staircase.

Highlights associated with the furnishings and surrounds of the building include:

• A wooden side altar with a stone mensa, dating to around 1930 with a painting depicting an image of the Virgin Mary;
• A similar side altar with a painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus;
• Original decorated pews dating from the 1920s;
• Feretron with wooden polychrome carving depicting an image of the Virgin Mary dating to the early 20th century;
• Paintings, including a 1920s Titian copy depicting the Assumption of the Virgin Mary;
• Polychrome wooden sculptures: Christ Crucified, Our Lady of Lourdes';
• Marble plaque commemorating the marriage of Walerian Podlewski to Wanda Maria Kozicka;
• A bell tower in the form of a three-bay gate, made of stone blocks.

In her study of the building, Katarzyna Brzezina describes the style of the church as a modernised Gothic-Baroque costume, with Gothic motifs predominating. The church is in good condition.

Name: Parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rydoduby

Current name: Same as above.

Section: architecture

Location: Ukraine, District: Ternopil, Village: Rydoduby

Author: Teodor Wtórzecki

Date of construction: 1928 / Consecration: 1931 / Re-consecration 1991.

Technical data: Object made of stone, plastered