When you see at least one such landmark, you can’t help but understand why they are so admired by connoisseurs of cult architecture and people interested in antiquity and monuments that have come down to us from the depths of centuries. Wooden churches of the Ukrainian Carpathians are a special page in their architectural history. One of such amazing churches is located in the village of Pilipets.
The wooden church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the only witness of the medieval period of life in the village, it is the oldest attraction in Pilipets. It was built at the beginning of the second half of the 18th century — in 1759-1762, as well as the bell tower standing near it. It is hard to believe, considering how ruthless time is to such a material as wood, that this structure is almost three hundred years old. The temple, as before, stands in the same place, remaining the spiritual home of the villagers, and now also attracting the curious eyes of tourists, many of whom are impressed by this attraction to the core.
The building of the temple is made of spruce logs, in plan it is two-srubbed, three-part, with equally wide logs of the babinets and nave, which are covered with one high roof with two slopes. The eastern log cabin has smaller dimensions and is also covered with a two-pitched roof, but lower. One can enter the temple through an open porch located on the western side of the babinets. Above the entrance rises a square tower with a beautiful baroque tiered completion topped with a red plowshare. Having approached the temple and started to look at it, it is simply impossible to turn around and leave without enjoying the sight to the end: it seems to hypnotize with its mystery.
Dark, squat, with a massive roof — the church clearly tells about how many religious buildings surrounding the inhabitants of the Ukrainian Carpathians in the middle of the XVIII century looked like, causes awe and reverence. Because of its dark color, it is perceived even somewhat mystically, fascinating, causes a desire to come closer and listen: suddenly it managed to bring to our time some material or even intangible evidence, echoes of former life? It seems that you just have to wait and a dark figure of a clergyman will come to one of the small windows. Such sights make the imagination involuntarily draw pictures that were once a reality, when in the mountainous areas of Ukrainian Carpathians quietly and secluded lived people, some quite different people, who perceived the world quite differently than we do today.
The building of the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has survived to this day in all its authenticity, it has never been radically changed, fortunately, it has not been rebuilt or destroyed. Only the inscription «1841» on the plaque on the south wall of the church indicates that it was reconstructed this year, wishing to prolong the life of the main architectural treasure of Pilipets. Even the ancient iconostasis of the XVIII century was preserved, and unfortunately there are very few such precedents in the history of such churches.
For all those who are planning their holiday in Pilipets, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of those places that you should definitely plan a visit to on your itinerary. Few wooden churches in the Carpathians have survived in such good condition without losing their authenticity, which is probably why it has the status of not just a landmark in Pilipets, but one of the most interesting sights of Mezhigorie in general.