Church of Nativity of The Most Holy Theotokos, 17th-18th centuries. Patrimony number 1149/1. Monument of national value. It is located in Kryvorivnia , Verkhovyna county.
It is the only church in the Land of the Hutsuls and one of the few places of worship in Ukraine that is over 350 years old and has never been closed.
The church was built in the early 1660s in the hamlet of Zarichia, on the right bank of the Cheremosh. In 1719, probably, for fear of floods, the church was moved to a higher place on the left bank of the Cheremosh.
The first interior paintings were made in the 1730s. Since then, the icon of the Savior has been preserved in the altar. Subsequent paintings were made in the 1800s when the iconostasis was installed.
Near the church, director Sergei Paragianov filmed the nature sequences for the famous film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors”.
The interior paintings were renovated in 1963. In 2016, the community began restoration work on the altar to restore the 300-year-old ornaments.
In 1972, in order to protect the place of worship from destruction, it was covered with metal, but in 2011, with the help of the community, the church was again covered with weatherboard, restoring its authentic appearance.
In 1997, a 30-meter-deep well was dug, a new bell tower and the church gate were built, and the church’s over 150-year-old residence was renovated. The old watchtower, built in 1818, has been preserved next to the church. All these constructions form an outstanding architectural ensemble.
