The Church of St. Theodosius is an active temple in Lutsk in the Krasne district, built in 1895–1906. Its history is closely connected with the military past of the city: the church grew out of a cemetery chapel for the funeral services of the Lutsk garrison soldiers.
Military Cemetery
At the end of the 19th century, Lutsk was a small district town, but military personnel made up almost a quarter of its residents: out of 13,804 inhabitants, about 2,500 served in the garrison. At first, deceased soldiers were buried at the Yarovytsia and Hnidava cemeteries. When soldiers began to die en masse from cholera — in particular, soldiers of the Moscow Grenadier Corps who were passing through Lutsk to Hungary — landowner P. Hobiata from Kichkarivka gave 1.5 desiatinas of land between present-day Volodymyrska Street and the Omelianivka River for burials for 100 rubles in silver.
From Chapel to Temple
In 1895, a chapel for funeral services of the deceased was opened at the cemetery so they would not have to be carried across the entire city to the church on present-day Striletska Street. At the end of the century, a committee headed by brigade commander Major General O. S. Bessonov decided to replace the wooden chapel with a brick church. In 1906, it was consecrated in honor of St. Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernihiv.
Today it is a parish church of the Volyn Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
What to See
A brick church of the early 20th century on the site of the former military cemetery. This is a peaceful place outside the tourist center, where another, military Lutsk of the late 19th century can be seen.
How to Find It
The Krasne district in Lutsk, not far from Volodymyrska Street.
