Pokorchyna is the oldest of the estate complexes of Left-Bank Ukraine that have survived to this day. It stands in Kozelets, on a low terrace of the right bank of the Oster river. The estate was built in the mid-18th century for Vira Darahan, sister of Counts Oleksii and Kyrylo Rozumovskyi, and her husband, Kyiv colonel Yukhym Darahan. The most interesting structure of the complex is the Darahan masonry house, which served as the treasury of the Kyiv Regiment.
Where the name comes from
There are two versions. Scientists believe the name comes from the surname of regimental clerk Ivan Pokorskyi, to whom this land belonged until 1744. Local legend tells it differently: supposedly, right here Empress Yelyzaveta, after her secret wedding to Oleksii Rozum, "humbled herself" (upokorylasia) before his mother Natalia Rozumykha, who had until recently run a tavern. According to legend, Rozumykha purchased the estate to receive her daughter-in-law in 1744, and later gave it to her daughter Vira as a dowry.
The estate
The main house and outbuildings were grouped around a rectangular ceremonial courtyard, to which an alley led. The plastered wooden house on a masonry basement was built around the mid-18th century. It was remodeled more than once, but features of its original appearance remain: on the axis of the facade stands a porch-portico on paired Tuscan columns with a high pediment. To the west of the house was a landscape park descending to the floodplain of the Oster, and to the north was the utility yard. Furniture and portraits of the Darahans, now kept in the Chernihiv Art Museum, originate from Pokorchyna.
The treasury-masonry house
To the east of the house stands a masonry building constructed by Yukhym Darahan. Weapons and the treasury of the Kyiv Regiment were kept here. This is a brick square two-story building with a deep basement that matches the dimensions of the ground-level floors. The decor from the 1750s–1770s features elements of Baroque and Empire styles: eared window casings, window grates, pilasters, and cornices. There are no stone stairs inside: presumably, for security, portable wooden ones led to the upper floor. This is one of the few stone utility structures of the 18th century preserved on the Left Bank.
How to get there
Pokorchyna lies on the bank of the Oster in Kozelets, not far from the center. Nearby is the Nativity Cathedral of the Rozumovskys, and a few kilometers away is the church in Lemeshi, the native village of the Rozumovskys.
