St. George's Church stands on a hill in the Koronnyi Zamok tract in Sedniv, at the centre of the ancient settlement of Snovsk. It is a wooden church built without a single nail and is a rare example of monumental wooden Baroque churches on the Left Bank.
How old is it
The exact date of construction is unknown. Most often, the church is dated to no later than 1747, some sources mention 1715, and wooden architecture researcher Stefan Taranushenko considered it even older—dating back to the 17th century. It is known that St. George's Church had stood in Snovsk since pre-Mongol times and was rebuilt more than once after fires.
According to legend, Cossacks of the Sedniv Hundred of the Chernihiv Regiment consecrated their weapons here before campaigns. For a long time, this was the main church of Sedniv until this status passed to the masonry Resurrection Church in 1690. In the 18th century, a parish school and a hospital for the poor operated at the church.
How it was built
The church is three-part, with a high octagonal central log section and two tier-like set-backs at the top. The walls are made of pine beams joined using the dovetail method. They lean slightly inward, so the towers taper towards the top by 10–20 centimetres. On either side of the faceted altar are small log structures for the sacristy and vestry. Inside, the space stretches upward right to the double-set-back top.
Alterations and rescue
In 1852, the church was raised onto a brick foundation, and a narthex with a bell tower and side annexes were added. During the Second World War, the church suffered heavily: the bell tower and dome were destroyed. In 1975–1978, the 19th-century annexes were dismantled, but the restoration was not completed, and in the early 2000s, due to a landslide, the church was on the verge of destruction. It was saved by the restoration of 2004–2007: the church was effectively recreated using ancient technologies, partly from authentic materials.
Sedniv's St. George's Church is also famous in cinema: according to television reports, scenes from the 1967 film Viy were filmed here.
How to get there
The church stands on a hill above the Snov River in Sedniv, within Lyzohub Park, 25 km from Chernihiv. It is a few minutes' walk from the Resurrection Church and the Lyzohub estate. More details can be found in the article “Sedniv”.
