The St. Nicholas Horodok Monastery is an ancient monastic foundation in the village of Horodok near Rivne, and an architectural landmark. Today it is a large women's monastery with several churches. Its history is closely connected with the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and key events of Ukrainian church history in the seventeenth century.
Property of the Pechersk Lavra
The first mention of the monastery dates back to 1516: Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozky then confirmed the will of his mother-in-law, according to which Horodok with the hamlets of Obariv and Khobkovshchyna, as well as the village of Volnytsia, were donated to the monastery. Horodok became a property of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The Horodok Council of 1628
In the sixth week of Lent in 1628, a church council took place in Horodok, attended by Archimandrite Petro Mohyla of the Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Yov Boretsky, Archbishop Meletii Smotrytsky of Polotsk, Bishop Isakii Boryskovych of Lutsk, and Bishop Paisii Ipolytovych of Kholm. Here it was decided to convene a local council in Kyiv on August 15, 1628. Thus, the small Volynian Horodok became the center of Ukraine's church life for a few days.
Baroque Church
Following the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667, Horodok remained within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and passed to Yosyp Shumliansky, the administrator of the Kyiv Metropolitanate. In 1730, it came under the jurisdiction of Greek Catholic Bishop Athanasius Sheptytsky, who in 1740 built the masonry St. Nicholas Church in the Baroque style with a rich iconostasis and murals.
Monastery Churches
Today there are several churches on the monastery grounds: the Church of the Prophet Elijah, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, the Churches of the Praise of the Mother of God and of the Holy Martyr Sisters Faith, Hope, Love and Sophia. The most valuable from a historical perspective is the Baroque St. Nicholas Church of 1740. The monastery is large and well-kept, with flower beds and paths, so a walk around the grounds will take an hour.
Tip
The monastery is active, clothing should cover the body, and women should have their heads covered. Photography inside the churches requires permission.
How to Get There
Horodok is a few kilometers from Rivne; suburban buses run here.
