Church of “Nativity of The Most Holy Theotokos”, the year 1808. Patrimony number 825. Monument of local value. It is located in Nyzhniy Verbizh village, Kolomyia district.
At the beginning of the 18th century, a wooden church was built in the village, but it did not last even a hundred years. In 1808 a new wooden church was erected in its place. It is highlighted by original architecture. It features a cruciform shape and five domes on top. It is a valuable monument of architecture and an object of monumental art.
A legend says that in the centre of the village of Nyzhniy Verbizh, on a hill, in ancient times, there was a monastery of monks that the Tartars burned. It is on this place that the two cult buildings are located: the bell tower and the church, built at their own expense by a local named Khrykhir Semeniuk. It was built by a local named Khrykhir Semeniuk with his own funds. In his youth, he was an outcast in the cohort of the legendary Oleksa Dovbuş, but one day he decided to renounce the outlawry, fleeing with some of the treasures. They became both the cause and the means of building the church in the village – in this way, Semeniuk wanted to atone for his sins. The former brigand lived for 114 years and was buried right next to the church. For the erection of this church, Emperor Ferdinand awarded him the “For Merits” gold medal.
The first level of the place is painted on the outside in dark red, with a slight shade of white around the windows and side beams. Above the central entrance is the image of the Most Holy Theotokos. The study of the building leads to the conclusion that it is a less common sacred architecture monument, not specific to this region. In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, there are almost no churches with five towers. They are most often found in Podolia.
In 1990 the church was rebuilt. Because of this, it has lost some of its original appearance, which is especially noticeable on the top. During the reconstruction, the old shingle roof of the building and the domes were replaced with a stamped sheet.
On the 21st of June, 2013, the wooden church was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
