The fortifications of the eastern lands of the former Commonwealth are mainly associated with Chocim and Kamieniec Podolski. However, it is worth remembering that Okopy Swietej Trójcy (currently: Okopy, Ukraine) also belongs to them. A poetic description of the fortifications was included by Zygmunt Krasiński in his work 'Nie-boska komedia'.

Okopy Swietej Trójcy
It was here that a fortified camp was established in 1692 by order of King Jan III Sobieski. This was due to the favourable location of the village, picturesquely situated between the Zbrucz and Dniester rivers on a narrow isthmus, which at its narrowest point is only about 100 m wide. An additional advantage is the high riverside escarpments, which act as natural barriers.

Stationed in the Holy Trinity Trenches, the crew was to control the then Polish-Turkish borderland and blockade Kamieniec Podolski, which was the main base for Turkish troops. In 1699. Podolia along with Kamieniec returned to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the fortress lost its military significance.

The second time Okopy Swietej Trójcy made history was during the Bar Confederation. It is now 250 years since the defence of the confederates, led by Casimir Pulaski, against the overwhelming Russian army in 1769.

Two stone-built gates, dating from the end of the 17th century and guarding the entrance to the isthmus from the east and west, have been preserved to the present day (hence their names: Kamieniecka Gate and Lwowska Gate). There are also remnants of earthen fortifications in their immediate vicinity, offering a beautiful view of the Zbruch and Dniester valleys.

Within the former fortified camp is a church, built in parallel with the fortifications in the 1790s. It was burnt down during the battles of the Bar Confederates against the Russians in 1769 and later remained in ruins until it was rebuilt in the early 20th century. Destroyed again during the Second World War, it remained a ruin without a roof and with a large stork's nest above the entrance for several decades. Some years ago, on the initiative of the parish priest of the Cathedral parish in Kamieniec Podolski, Fr Roman Twarog, and thanks to funds from the Polish state, the church was repaired and now functions as a Roman Catholic church.