White church. The church that gave the name to the city

In Ukraine, in the south-western part of Kievregion, along the banks of the Ros River, there is an amazingly clean and cozy old town - the White Church. About how old this settlement is, you can judge by such details. The first mention of it is found in one of the oldest historical documents of Rus - Ipatiev Chronicle (1115). In the city there are many beautiful places, memorable sights. The most important is related to its name.

Gray-haired old man

Imagine Kievan Rus of the 11th century. The young state is growing and growing stronger, acquiring friendly relations with its neighbors and respecting the enemies. Among the latter, the steppe-nomads are especially pestering Rusich. To protect the throne hail and nearby lands from their raids, in 1032 Yaroslav the Wise the city-fortress Yuryev was laid (the name Jury was received by Yaroslav himself at baptism). On the hill called the Castle Hill, a castle-fortress was built of light stone, and inside it a white church is a church through which the city was subsequently renamed. Around people began to settle, and gradually the checkpoint became a city. A lot of battles withstood the fortress, before in 1240 it was completely destroyed by the Tatar-Mongols. Remained only the remnants of the temple walls. With them, and began the revival of the settlement, the construction of new buildings. Then they began to call this place the White Church. Alas, the church itself has sunk into oblivion.

Winds of History

In general, the city was unexpectedly veryA stormy and rich biography. In the XIV century, it is under the rule of the Principality of Lithuania, then - the Commonwealth. In the XVI-XVII centuries on the territory of the region, people's uprisings continually flare up. Under Bogdan Khmelnytsky, the city became the center of the national liberation struggle. Then he was made his personal residence by Hetman Mazepa. In 1706 he founded a church in the style of the Ukrainian Baroque in the city of Belaya Tserkov. This magnificent stone building was not completed until the end because of the transfer of the city to Polish rule. It was only part of it that was rebuilt, called the church of St. Nicholas. It has survived to this day.

Catholic Church

The city and the adjacent territories in the beginningXIX century were the property of the family of Polish noblemen Branicki. Thanks to them, the Church received the White Church, which became a pride and a wonderful decoration of these places. Since Branicki were Catholics, they built a church in honor of John the Baptist on Mount Zamkova. The location was not chosen by chance: it was here that the ancient Christian shrine, the first church, once stood. And now Mr. White Church is proud of this wonderful monument of architecture and architecture. Built according to the strict laws of Catholicism, the church impresses with magnificence, grandeur, harmonious proportionality of all details and elements. Especially admires the interior decoration of the building: stucco molding, painting, rich ornaments. Remarkable in the church acoustics. Therefore, often there are evenings of organ and chamber music.

Orthodox churches

And still, the Orthodox city is the most white - WhiteChurch. The churches functioning in it do not yield to the church either external beauty or interior decoration. This is the Nikolaevskaya (built in the XVIII-XIX centuries), the Church of Mary Magdalene (XVIII century), the Preobrazhensky Cathedral, one of the largest in the city (XIX century). The buildings are not simply decorated with the White Church. Churches are city sights and are protected by the state as objects of cultural and historical past. The city and its inhabitants have something to be proud of: a glorious history and high culture.

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