The Art of a Destroyed Church
Murals of the 19th-century Holy Trinity Church, which was destroyed by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s
Hopchytsya History Museum
http://hopchytsya.com.ua/
The main building of the Hopchytsya school (1950/1970) by UnknownHopchytsya History Museum
The main building of the school
In the village of Hopchytsya, there was a legend that the local school was built from the materials of a destroyed church. In the fall of 2017, the legend was finally investigated, and they discovered paintings from the Holy Trinity Church on the roof of the village school.
Fragment of a painting depicting the Virgin Mary (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
The Virgin Mary
The paintings, which had not been seen for almost a century, were captured on camera for the first time. The legend, which turned out to be a historical fact, was covered by national media.
"From archival materials, it is known that the issue of constructing a new school building was discussed on November 20, 1926, at a village council meeting. It was decided to build the new school on church land, on the site of a decaying priest's barn. The school was built and put into operation around 1930. Three more classrooms and a narrow corridor were added in 1939," says Mykhailo Petrenko, director of the Hopchytsya History Museum.
Fragment of the image of St. Mary Magdalene (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Mary Magdalene
In 2017, an initiative group discovered ancient church paintings on old beams fastened with wooden nails and forged metal brackets.
"This roof survived World War II; the Germans set up a stable in the school back then but didn't notice that a village treasure was hidden above them," says the museum director.
Fragment of the image of the apostle (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Saint
They managed to capture painted beams with ornamental designs and a series of biblical scenes, including 'The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem,' 'The Resurrection of the Lord,' and images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, the Apostles, and Seraphim.
A fragment of a painting with a saint (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Fragment of the plot "Resurrection of the Lord" (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Resurrection
It is known that the Holy Trinity Church in Hopchytsya was built from oak logs and covered with shingles by local parishioners as early as 1726, as evidenced by its first Uniate visitation in 1740.
A fragment of a painting with an angel (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Saint
In 1855, likely after a fire, the church was restored at the expense of the husband of the local landowner, Paulina Adamivna Rzewuska, State Councillor Ivan Stefanovych Riznych.
Paintings of the Holy Trinity Church in Hopchytsya (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Paintings on the beams
Near the church, there was also a bell tower and a wall, which were built slightly earlier in 1850 during the tenure of the local priest, Mayevsky. It is the paintings from this restored church that we see today on the beams of the school roof.
Fragment of the image of the apostle (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Apostle
There was a parish elementary school for the children of parishioners associated with the church. The students — 11 boys — were taught in one classroom for a period of 3 years.
A wooden beam with fragments of paintings and images of saints by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Paintings on the beams
The children were taught by a teacher named Chumak, who had himself graduated from a church-parish school. The school taught reading from the Holy Scripture, writing, and arithmetic.
Mary Magdalene
Comparison of two fragments of images from separate beams.
The Seraphim (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
Seraphim
Fragment of the mural from the Holy Trinity Church of Hopchytsya with a seraphim.
Resurrection
This is how a fragment of the depiction of the Gospel scene of the Resurrection of the Lord looks after comparing several images on the beams.
The Lord's entry into Jerusalem (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (upper part)
Fragment of the mural depicting the biblical scene of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
The Lord's entry into Jerusalem (2017) by Hopchytsya History MuseumHopchytsya History Museum
The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (lower part)
Fragment of the mural depicting the biblical scene of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
The NGO ReLoad for the Hopchytsya History Museum
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