Moscow, April 24, 2017
Photo: rublev.com A virtual online tour of unique UNESCO World Heritage wooden churches of the Carpathian region has been launched. “Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Region in Ukraine,” providing detailed information about the churches and panoramic 3D views both inside and outside the temples, was created by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, partnered with Google-Ukraine, reports the site Rublev.
The virtual tour site is available in English, Ukrainian, and Russian, providing in-depth looks at eight magnificent wooden churches from various Carpathian regions. UNESCO includes sixteen Carpathian churches in its list, eight of which are in Ukraine, and eight in Poland.
Photo: rublev.com “The virtual tour allows you to be in the very heart of the Carpathians and gives the opportunity to explore the unique architecture of ancient Ukrainian art, masterpieces of the UNESCO European Cultural Heritage. With the help of the convenient navigation and voice guidance, you can learn interesting facts about the historic churches in the Ukrainian Carpathian region … and experience the atmosphere of past centuries thanks to virtual reality technology,” reads a message in the Lvov Gazette.
According to Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Culture Rostislav Karandaeva, the preservation and popularization of Ukraine’s historical and cultural heritage is an important task of the ministry. “Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Region” is one of the ministry’s initiatives within the “Authentic Ukraine” project. “These projects combine rich tradition with modern technology, and demonstrate the uniqueness and identity of our country,” Karandaeva stated.
Photo: Tamas Thaler One of the temples on the site is St. Michael’s Church in the village of Uzhok. Its original date of construction is unknown, but it is known that in 1656 it was dismantled at its original location in the village of Nadeevo and transferred to its present site. The bell tower was built in 1678.
St. George’s Church fully embodies the creative achievements of the local architects, with great artistic value being placed into the painting of the church as well.
Photo: Valery Yaschishin The Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in Petlych was built in 1502 by Ukraine’s largest craftsmen workshop of the time. Next to it stands a twenty-meter high bell tower built without a single nail. The sixteenth century iconography is believed to represent the oldest collection of wall paintings in wooden architecture in Ukraine.
To learn more about these and the other churches, visit Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Region in Ukraine.
