The Holy Intercession Church in Hostomel, Bucha Raion, is a large brick church that conceals an old wooden church. Dating back to pre-revolutionary times, the wooden drum of the central dome from 1890 has survived here, and parishioners rebuilt a new church around it. This is an unusual combination of different eras and materials that tells the history of Hostomel better than any textbook.

From Paliy to 1890

According to legend, the Intercession Church in Hostomel was founded on the initiative of Colonel Semen Paliy, back in the days of Cossack Hostomel. The wooden church, the outlines of which are still visible today, dates back to 1770; it was erected on the site of an even older shrine. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the church was remodeled several times, and the main work was completed in 1890. The parish included Blystavytsia, Ozera, Yablunka (now part of Bucha), and surrounding farmsteads.

In 1860, a parish school for children from Hostomel, Yablunka, Blystavytsia, and Ozera was opened at the church. In 1875, 36 boys and 8 girls studied in the first grade, and later Epystymia Syomatska, a graduate of Kyiv University, taught here.

Club and Revival

From 1930 to 1989, the church served as a settlement club. Starting in 1989, the community began restoring the church at its own expense: a large brick church grew around the old wooden core, and new domes were raised in 1999. Because of this reconstruction, the church does not have the status of an architectural landmark, but for the residents of Hostomel, it is the main shrine of the settlement.

Following the de-occupation of Hostomel, on July 4, 2022, the community unanimously decided to transfer from the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

How to Get There

Address: 220 Sviato-Pokrovska Street, Hostomel. Hostomel is located right past Irpin, 25 km from the center of Kyiv; minibuses (marshrutkas) run here from Kyiv, as well as suburban electric trains to the Hostomel station.

Tip

The church is active, so please be quiet during services. Nearby grows the 400-year-old Guardian Oak, and close by is the Vorzel Reserve. Read more about the region in the article about Kyiv Polissia.