Mezhirich, Rivne Province, Ukraine, July 14, 2026
Photo: rivne.church.ua
A monastery of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church celebrated on Sunday the 35th anniversary of its revival after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The celebration at Holy Trinity Monastery in the village of Mezhirich, Rivne Province, which dates back to the 14 century, was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Pimen of Rivne and Ostrog. The celebration coincided with the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, reports the Rivne Diocese.
Photo: rivne.church.ua/
Abbot Archimandrite Theodore, clergy, the brotherhood, and pilgrims from across Ukraine participated in the Liturgy. Special petitions were offered for peace in Ukraine and for those who have suffered loss or been left homeless. Prayers were also offered for people of goodwill assisting those in need.
Addressing the clergy and faithful, Met. Pimen called on those present to remain united in sincere prayer and acts of mercy, and wished the brotherhood God’s help in their ministry and many blessed years.
A cross procession around the monastery grounds and a festal moleben followed the Liturgy.
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Photo: wikimedia.org
The Mezhirich monastery is among the oldest Orthodox sites in Volhynia. The locality’s connection to the Ostrog princely dynasty dates to 1386, when Grand Prince Vytautas confirmed the rights of Prince Theodore of Ostrog to Mezhirich. His descendant Prince Vasyl built stone castle walls on the site, and Vasyl’s son Ivan erected a wooden Holy Trinity Church, which was subsequently destroyed in a Tatar raid.
Construction of a stone church began in the mid-15th century; at the time of its completion it was among the largest stone churches in Volhynia. By 1571, the complex included stone walls with merlons, a wooden defensive gallery, and a stone bell tower. In 1605, Mezhyrichi received Magdeburg rights.
In the early 17th century the monastery passed to Catholic hands. Between 1606 and 1610, Janusz of Ostrog ordered the conversion of the castle and church into a Franciscan monastery. Two two-story wings with monastic cells were added to the church, and round three-tier towers were constructed at their outer corners. During the Cossack uprising of 1648, Bohdan Khmelnytsky made a stop at Mezhirich; the Cossacks largely destroyed the surrounding town, but the monastery itself survived.
A fire in 1820 gutted the monastery library, which had held more than 1,900 volumes. In 1866, the Franciscan monastery was dissolved and the church reverted to Orthodox use as a parish church. The cathedral underwent major restoration and repainting in the early 20th century. The monastery was closed in the 1930s and reopened in 1991.
The community now serves as one of the principal spiritual centers of Rivne Province and receives pilgrims from across Ukraine.
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