St Varvara Church

Berdychiv better known as a city-fortress or Volhynian Jerusalem is located forty-three kilometres from Zhytomyr southwards. This picturesque part of Ukraine keeps ancient mysteries and legends. Berdychiv is a city of magnificent medieval buildings, where each of them can tell you its own story. St Varvara Church is one of numerous architectural gems of Berdychiv.

The year of 1759 is its founding year. Polish nobleman Krzysztof Záviš married off his daughter Varvara and gave her the city of Berdychiv, which used to be one of his estates, as part of the dowry. An old wooden church was replaces by a new one in honour of the bride.

Decades passed before St Varvara Church has become the way we can see it today. This Catholic Church is designed within the Baroque style, which was typical for the churches C17th-18th – three-section, two-story and four-pillar buildings, arched windows as well. On its roof you may notice a small belfry, peal of which can be heard even outside the city because of installed microphones. In addition, your attention will be attracted by a small balcony above the main entrance. The architectural composition of St Varvara church is similar to the famous Chiesa del Gesù (Church of Jesus in Rome, Italy). If you walk around the temple, you will find two more buildings: the grotto of the Virgin Mary and a cross in honour of the 240th anniversary of the St Varvara parish.

Go inside the church and come up to the sanctuary – the same place, where on the 2nd of March in 1850 a classic of French literature Honore de Balzac married a widowed Polish landowner Evelina Hanska. On the facade of the building an installed plaque in honour of this memorable event can be noted by you. After some period of time an organ was placed in St Varvara Church. The great composer Frederic Chopin was taught to play it by his teacher, a Czech professor Wojciech Zhyvnoy. Later the building of the Catholic Church was used as a gym hall. Vitaliy Lons’kyi, a famous Soviet high jump trainer, worked here as a teacher of physical education.

For a long period of time St Varvara Church was abandoned, however in the mid 1990s it resumed its services and hundreds of Catholics got their shrine back. Presently three organisations are open at this church: a Sunday school, the third Franciscan Order and the Berdychiv Madonna Legion. Their activities are mainly aimed at charity events and donations.

Visit Berdychiv and stroll its alleyways, where Honore de Balzac and Frederic Chopin used to walk. Come inside St Varvara Church named in honour of the Berdychiv patron. The Catholic Church welcomes its guests every day. You are well advised to go there at St Varvara Day, Christmas and St Andrew Apostle Day, who was a Christian preacher on the territory of Slavic lands.

St Varvara Church is located in the centre of the city on 25, Karl Liebknecht Street. You can get there by a taxi bus from the railway station.