The Zhydychyn St Nicholas Monastery is one of the oldest cloisters in Ukraine, standing in the village of Zhydychyn of the Kivertsi district of Volyn Oblast, a few kilometres from Lutsk. Its first written mention is found in the Hypatian Chronicle under the year 1227, and local tradition claims the monastery was founded even before the official baptism of Rus’. For centuries the cloister’s chief treasure was a miracle-working icon of Saint Nicholas, before which Prince Danylo of Halych came to bow in prayer. [1][3]
At a glance
- Full name: Zhydychyn St Nicholas men’s monastery.
- Address: village of Zhydychyn, Kivertsi district, Volyn Oblast. [3]
- First written mention: 1227 (Hypatian Chronicle). [1]
- Present church: the masonry St Nicholas church, begun in 1594, rebuilt in 1723. [2][4]
- Shrines: the miracle-working icon of Saint Nicholas (a known copy survives) and the Zhydychyn (Kholm) icon of the Mother of God. [4]
- Revival: 23 July 2003; namestnik — Hieromonk Mark (Levkiv). [1]
History of the cloister
The legend of the foundation and the pre-Mongol age
The people of Zhydychyn link the monastery’s origin to a legend: missionary monks expelled from Lutsk stopped here for the night, and all of them dreamed the same dream — Saint Nicholas ordering them to stay and found a holy cloister; nearby in the bushes they found his miracle-working image. [3] Historical studies suggest the monastery could have existed here even before 988: Volhynia bordered on the already christianized Europe. [3]
The first written mention is the entry in the Galician-Volhynian Chronicle: “In the year 6735 [1227]… Danylo rode to Zhydychyn to venerate and pray to Saint Nicholas.” That year the boyars of Lutsk came to the cloister, asking the prince to take them under his protection. [1][2] Archaeological finds — tools and ceramic fragments — prove that Zhydychyn had a long history even before the prince’s arrival. [1]
The “Lavra” of Volhynia: 14th–16th centuries
Metropolitans and bishops often preferred to settle church and state matters in Zhydychyn rather than in Lutsk. After the Tatar devastation Prince Danylo gave money for the monastery’s rebuilding; at that time the cloister was considered the richest of all Volhynian monasteries, its patrons including the princes Ostrozkyi, Liubartovych and Holshanskyi. [2] No wonder the Zhydychyn monastery was once called a lavra. [3]
The Union age and the Phoenix of Metropolitan Susha
After the Union of Brest in 1596 the cloister passed to the Greek Catholics. In 1644 the monastery’s namestnik, the Greek-Catholic metropolitan Yakiv Susha, published the book “Phoenix”, collecting materials on the miracles that occurred before the icon of the Kholm Mother of God. [2]
About the masonry church we read two authentic inscriptions: “This church was founded by the Lviv bishop Gedeon Balaban in 1594” and “This church was founded by the Kholm bishop Yosyf Levytskyi in 1723”. Thus an Orthodox hierarch began this building, and a Uniate one completed it in the early 18th century. Notably, Gedeon Balaban, who later joined the Union, laid this church precisely as an Orthodox bishop. [1][2]
Ruin, return and school: 1795–1991
In 1795 Empress Catherine II abolished the Greek-Catholic monasteries, and that fate did not pass St Nicholas by; three years later the cloister was given to the Roman Catholics. [2] The monastery was finally closed in 1845, but the Nicholas church remained active: priests Klyment Olenych, Roman and Fedir Tsybulskyi brought the word of God to the parishioners. [4]
In 1936 the summer residence of the respected Metropolitan Polikarp (Sikorskyi) was established here; under his direction a commission for translating the Bible into Ukrainian worked in Zhydychyn. [1][3] After the Second World War the premises housed a school, and the monastic building fell into decay. [2][3]
The revival of 2003
On 23 July 2003, by a resolution of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, the activity of the Zhydychyn St Nicholas Monastery was restored. Its first inhabitant and namestnik became Hieromonk Mark (Levkiv), a graduate of the Volyn Theological Seminary. [1] Today the cloister is again filled with prayer, and on 27 October, the feast of Saint Nicholas Sviatosha, Prince of Lutsk, a special celebration resounds. [3]
Shrines and architecture
- The Nicholas church (1594–1723) — a masonry basilican church with two authentic foundation stones of two hierarchs, uniting the Orthodox and Uniate epochs in a single wall. [1][2]
- The miracle-working icon of Saint Nicholas — the local legend of the image found in the bushes; its copy is kept in the masonry church. [2] Experts date the surviving image to the early 18th century. [4]
- The Zhydychyn (Kholm) icon of the Mother of God — known to Volhynian pilgrims since the 13th century; Metropolitan Yakiv Susha described the miracles before it in the 1644 “Phoenix”. [2][4]
- The grounds of the old cloister — the probable residence of the Volhynian metropolitans and a memory of Prince Danylo’s chronicled pilgrimage. [2]
Spiritual significance
Zhydychyn teaches us the permanence of prayer: from the missionaries’ dreams and the chronicle entry of 1227 to the Synod of 2003. A cloister that “was called a lavra” shows that a spiritual capital is not hidden in the grandeur of cities, but grows where hearts gather around a miracle-working image. [2][3]
Practical information
- Address: village of Zhydychyn, Kivertsi district, Volyn Oblast. [3]
- Getting there: from Lutsk — a few kilometres toward Kivertsi; from the Zhydychyn turn it is an easy walk to the hill with the church. [2]
- Services: an active monastery; services are held in the masonry Nicholas church. [1]
- Pilgrims: it is best to contact the Volyn Eparchy or the namestnik in advance; the local people gladly share their history. [2]
- Nearby: Lutsk and the sights of Liubart’s Castle, the picturesque banks of the region’s rivers. [2]
Frequently asked questions
Where does the name “Zhydychyn” come from?
Researchers have not definitively solved the place name; it is as old as the cloister itself. Some folk etymologies link it to an old word for those baptized by the preached monks (“zhydovyny” — those who accepted the “faith from Israel”), but there is no scholarly consensus. [2][3]
Is 1227 truly the first mention?
Yes — it is the first written mention of the cloister in the Hypatian Chronicle; archaeological finds support the settlement’s longer existence. [1][2]
What is Yakiv Susha’s “Phoenix”?
A book by the Uniate metropolitan of 1644, gathering accounts of miracles that occurred before the icon of the Kholm Mother of God associated with the Zhydychyn cloister. [2]
Has the miracle-working image survived?
A copy of the ancient image of Saint Nicholas is kept in the masonry church today; the ancient original did not return to the community. [2][4]
Who leads the cloister now?
Since the 2003 revival the namestnik has been Hieromonk Mark (Levkiv). [1]
Conclusion
The Zhydychyn monastery is a volume of Volhynian piety written in stone and legend. From the monks’ dreams and Danylo of Halych — through the fire of the Union, imperial bans, a Soviet school — to the prayer restored in 2003. That is why Zhydychyn was rightly called the lavra of the Volhynian land. [1][2][3]