The Church of St. Michael in the village of Pulemets in Kovel Raion stands near Lake Pulemetske, one of the largest of the Shatsk Lakes. The current church was built in the 1990s, but a parish has existed here for over five centuries, and the history of the old church is one of the most dramatic in Volhynia.

A parish since 1510

The church in Pulemets is first mentioned in 1510, when the village was part of the Chełm Land. Until 1619 it was Orthodox, then it passed to the Uniate Church, and in 1796, after the region came under the Russian Empire, the local priest Ustyn Lilikovych returned to Orthodoxy. In 1844, about 300 state peasants lived in the village across 37 homesteads, and part of the village was owned by landowners.

The church of 1861

In 1861, a new wooden Church of St. Michael was erected in Pulemets with state funds, and in 1890 a parish school was opened attached to it. After the Second World War, the church was closed and used as a collective farm warehouse. In December 1984, the church was demolished — this was one of the last churches destroyed in Volhynia during Soviet times. The bells were sold to a village in the Brest region, and some of the icons were transferred to neighboring parishes.

The new church

In the late 1980s, the villagers secured permission for a new church. In 1990, the community was registered and construction of the church began on the site of the old one — made of foam blocks faced with brick. Services began as early as 1991, and on September 30, 1996, the church was consecrated. While the church was being built, it was overseen by a priest from neighboring Pishcha.

Parish priests

The names of the priests who served in Pulemets have been preserved. In 1857, Vasyl Pomazanskyi was here, before the revolution it was Father Nykanor, from the late 1930s to 1950 it was Flehont Zinkevych, and from 1956 until the closure of the church it was Father Ioann. After the demolition of the church, the bells were sold to the village of Pryborovo in the Brest region — the local church there burned down in 2003, and the fate of the bells is unknown.

While the new church was being built, until 1999 it was overseen by Archpriest Ioann Davydiuk from neighboring Pishcha. Afterwards, priests Oleksandr Antoniuk and Roman Yakymets served here, and since 2011, Serhii Bohdan.

Lake Pulemetske

The village lies on the shore of Lake Pulemetske, one of the largest in the Shatsk National Park. The lake is wide and open, and is loved by fishermen and vacationers. On the shore are recreation centers and sandy beaches, and it is not far from the village to Svityaz.

Tip

Pulemets is a popular recreation spot on the shore of Lake Pulemetske, so the church is easy to visit on the way to the beach. Nearby is the wooden church of 1801 in Pishcha.

How to get there

Pulemets is in the Shatsk hromada, not far from Shatsk. More can be found in the article Kovel Raion.