WOODEN ORTHODOX CHURCHES OF THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDERLAND

During the period of the difficult birth and development of Polish statehood and the formation of the national spirit in the lands of present-day Ukraine, architecture became an important marker for these tendencies. For centuries, these structures had been built at the point of contact between Latin and Eastern cultures. Christian churches of the Eastern rite – wooden Orthodox churches – were the most numerous, right after wooden Latin churches, group of religious buildings in Poland, and are the largest in present-day Ukraine. In comparison to Latin churches, the forms of Orthodox ones are much more diverse. The research conducted by the author in the years 1989-2002 made it possible to identify many of the most valuable orthodox churches in Western Ukraine. Today remains only hope that the current Russo-Ukrainian war will not deplete this priceless cultural heritage.