Ukrainian land is like a treasure trove of the mythical King Croesus. It is worth a little digging, going around a corner or climbing a mountain, as the seeker opens marvelous pictures and true values of planetary scale. The tiny village of Olkhovitsa, located in Mukachevo district, in the Transcarpathian region, separated by mountains from the main territory of Ukraine, is no exception to the general «rule of jewels». A simple settlement, of which there are a thousand, became the place of a unique wooden temple and a plot of land from which a unique treasure of 5 bronze swords, the time of forging which dates back to the 10th century BC, was extracted.
If the value, age and origin of the militarized hoard of scientists quickly figured out, the value of the temple for a long time was, as if hidden by a black veil, from the eyes of Soviet researchers and art historians. By the way, the temple itself, its shape and appearance resembles the biblical Noah’s Ark, as it is portrayed by today’s masters of historical reconstructions. It rises on a hill above the village, and it seems to float above Olkhovitsa, above the Carpathians, above the world.
This marvelous temple was built in the village in the XVII century. Only not in Olkhovitsa, but in Bystrica. It was named in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius, who was beaten with spears and torn by wild beasts by order of the Roman Emperor. This church is built of pine logs in two log cabins. One is rectangular, long, the one that gives the temple the appearance of Noah’s Ark. The other is smaller, pentagonal. It is intended for the altar. A distinctive feature of the structure is a huge porch, equal to a third of the temple body. 
Massive hewn wooden slabs were used for the porch. Above it there is an arch. On it you can see carved symbols of the Sun — solaris, swastika — wheels of fire, hexaflowers and solar flowers. By the way, on them alone you can write a dissertation on the theme of joint life of pagan symbols and Christian rites. Or vice versa. On a kind of «deck» of the ark rises a non-functional tower, which has an obvious oriental flavor.
For three centuries the church of St. Demetrius the Great Martyr faithfully served the inhabitants of Bystrica. And then it was taken, and as if by magic, in 1910 it was moved to the village of Olhovitsa. According to one version, it was bought by the wealthier members of the Olhovitsa community, according to another — the daughter of the local gentleman got married and as a dowry «took» the church with her. Whatever it was, but it was this «transfer» that saved the church from destruction. All the old churches in Mukachevo district were destroyed, dismantled, burned, but this one survived!
Today the church of St. Great Martyr Dmitriy is the only wooden church in the Carpathians that has survived on the territory of the district. Having taken a vacation to the Carpathians, passed all the ridges and drank water from all the local mineral springs, stop by here to see with your own eyes a Ukrainian church like the ship of the biblical patriarch. Rest in Chinadievo, Palanok Castle and Solotva salt lakes will not go anywhere from you, and this wooden miracle can again change its place of dislocation, having found new shores.