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Rocky Monastery, the �IV �entury. Preservation # 1686 | Foto | Video (AVI, 10M) | Excursion "On the Way of the Centuries" | How to get there
Bakota Village

Analysis of water of springs near the rocky monastery

It was built at the end of the XII - middle of the XVI centuries (Urochyshche Monastyryshche). The ruins of the Rocky Monastery with Mychaylivs'ka Church remained on the steep south-western slope of White mountain, the foot of which is washed by the gulf of the Dnister River. In the middle of the XIII century, the Monastery, simultaneously with the Castle, which was situated on the top of the mountain, was destroyed. It was restored in the 60's of the XIV century. Then, at the beginning of the 30's of the XV century, it was destroyed again and soon stopped existence. After landslip of the cliff, the central part of the Monastery complex with the Church collapsed, and was covered with earth. In the 80's and the 90's of the XIX century, remainders of the Monastery complex were found under the direction of V.B.�ntonovych. It turned out to be in two layers. The upper one, on the top of the mountain, where the monastery entrance was located, looked like the cave in the form of skilfully made spiral room. It in the form of great spiral in two convolutions goes down (it is ruined now). The lower monastery, located on the slope, consisted of row of ruined rocky cells and a two-tiered church, the walls of which were filled with water colours. In 1893, the wooden two-tiered building with a high shed roof was built over the wooden temple.
A two-tiered rocky church makes up the composition centre of the Monastery complex, which stretches out along the mountainside. In front of its ruins there is an area, 40 m long and 10 m wide today. The first tier of the Church is closed by the retaining wall, 4 m high, that was built in 1893. The second tier, to which stone stairs lead, represents an interior of the altar part. It remained the traces of the initial three-naved planned structure of the building. The total width of the Church in interior is 9 m. The naves were divided by the columns in the rock (did not remain). The width of the central nave, which was covered with a high arch of lancet outline (2.8 m; side- 2.2-2.6 m) made in the rock. The eastern butt-end with deep bay and a fragment of the arch remained from the central nave.
The eastern butt-ends of the side naves are made with doorways, which go into the corridors, 6 and 9 m long, that have been a burial-vault of the Monastery. There are niches for burials in their walls and in the floor. They were closed with slabs. On the southern wall of the southern nave an ancient inscription in Slavonic type has remained. It is a narration about the foundation of the Monastery. From the south and north of the Church in the rock parts of the cells and similar niches for burials have remained. They were arranged in two tiers. The extant remainders of the monument belong to the type of rocky constructions with original design of the separate architectural and constructional elements.

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Translated by Yana Anufriyeva
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