Materials on the History of the UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Church of St. Spirit in Potelych

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyze and systematize the materials on the history of the outstanding monument of Ukrainian sacred architecture and painting - the Church of St. Spirit in Potelych, as well as the introduction of a new source into scientific circulation, which helps to explore in more detail the history of the temple. The research methodology is based on the principles of objectivity, historicism, systematics, analytical and synthetic critique of sources. The method of historical reconstruction contributed to the formation of disparate facts into a holistic view of the history of the church of St. Spirit. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the attempt to systematize the materials on the history of the church of St. Spirit in Potelych. A new historical source of the XVIII century is introduced into scientific circulation, which complements the source base of the study of the monument, as well as the history of the settlement in which it is located. The proposed document can be used to study the history of the church, art, local lore, demographic studies, as well as other topics on the history of society in the early modern period. Conclusions. As a result of the analysis of the published, as well as the introduction of a new source into scientific circulation, it was possible to recreate the chronology of the existence of the Church of St. Spirit in Potelych from the 60s of the XVI century to modern time. It is established that the church was built on the site of the church of St. Borys and Hlib between 1559 and 1564. In the first half of the XVII century the church was decorated with a unique mural, which, in particular, may be associated with confessional processes. During this century, the church changed its confessional affiliation several times, until the second half of the XVII century. Finally it entered the structure of the Kyiv Union Metropolitanate. Over the following decades, the number of its parishioners increased and its interior was enriched, as evidenced by the act of visiting the church. During the Soviet era, the church was closed, at the same time declared a monument of national importance and thoroughly restored in 1970–1972. Since 2008, the church has fully restored its sacred functions, and in 2013 was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.