The Ternivka Holy Ascension Women’s Monastery is the youngest community of the Dnipro diocese, opened in 1998 around a unique wooden church of 1908 built without a single nail. The church, which survived the revolution, the war and the atheist decades, became the spiritual heart of the miners’ city of Ternivka in the Pavlohrad district. [1][2]
Quick facts
- Full name: Ternivka Holy Ascension Women’s Monastery of the UOC (Dnipro diocese). [1]
- Address: city of Ternivka, Pavlohrad district, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 60 Internatsionalna Street. [2]
- Founding church: the wooden church of the Ascension of the Lord, 1908, built without nails. [1]
- Monastery opened: blessing of the Holy Synod of the UOC of 12.03.1998; state registration 26.05.1998. [1]
- First senior sister: Vira (Vira Mykhailivna Vostrova) and five sisters. [1]
- Status: an active women’s monastery; the youngest community of the diocese. [1]
History of the monastery
A church without nails (1908)
In 1908, in the settlement of Ternivka (then a workers’ settlement near the mines of the Katerynoslav gubernia), a wooden church in honour of the Ascension of the Lord was erected. The building is unique for the region: it was shaped from straight timber without a single iron nail — following the old tradition of wooden sacred architecture. [1]
The builders of the structure were a father and son surnamed Hneushev; the son, Lonhyn Kyrylovych Hneushev, later served as choir regent — so the church sounded not only of wood but of ancient singing. [1]
Trials of the 20th century
The revolution and Soviet power brought the closure of services: the church survived persecution but was not destroyed. In 1943, during the occupation, services were renewed: the priest Feodor became rector, and later a second priest Alekseiev arrived. Curiously, in those times holy relics and local pilgrimage traditions were revered in the church. [1][3]
After the war the church worked with interruptions; the Soviet years left traces on its appearance, but the wooden logs, joined with dowels and notched joints, wonderfully endured decades without repair. [1]
The road to a monastery (1997–1998)
On 9 November 1997 the parish council of the Ternivka church applied to Archbishop Irenei of Dnipropetrovsk and Pavlohrad with a request to open a women’s monastery on the basis of the parish. [1]
On 12 March 1998 the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church blessed the opening of the community, and on 26 May 1998 the state authorities issued a certificate of registration of the monastery. The first senior sister was Vira (Vira Mykhailivna Vostrova), together with five sisters. [1]
An architectural pearl
The main treasure of the monastery is the wooden church of 1908: [1]
- Material: timber, coarse-grained wood that has survived remarkably beyond repairs; [1]
- Technique: a construction without nails — beams joined by wooden pins, notched joints and special locks; [1]
- Patronal feast: the Ascension of the Lord (forty days after Easter); [3]
- Choir: a tradition of reverent singing that goes back to the regent Lonhyn Hneushev. [1]
Life today
Today the Ternivka monastery is a small but living women’s community that serves a miners’ city. The sisters combine prayer with husbandry and social work; the church, inhabited by people for over a century, stands as a symbol that wood and faith outlast steel and concrete. [1][2]
Practical information
- Address: city of Ternivka, Pavlohrad district, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 60 Internatsionalna Street. [2]
- How to get there: from Dnipro — take the highway towards Pavlohrad; in Ternivka turn onto the central streets. [2]
- What to see: the unique wooden church of 1908 without nails — a rare example of sacred wooden architecture of the Dnipro region. [1]
- Services: according to the women’s monastery schedule; the principal feast is the Ascension of the Lord. [3]
Frequently asked questions
What makes the Ternivka church unique?
It was built in 1908 of wood and, according to tradition, without a single nail — like the ancient shrines of Volhynia and the Carpathians. [1]
Who built the church?
The masters Hneushev — a father and son; the son Lonhyn Kyrylovych also led the church choir as regent. [1]
When was the monastery opened?
The UOC Synod blessed the opening on 12 March 1998; the state registered the community on 26 May the same year. [1]
Why is the monastery called the youngest of the diocese?
Because its opening in 1998 made it the latest community of the Dnipro diocese by time of foundation. [1]
Can one attend a service?
Yes, it is an active women’s monastery with the full cycle of services. [1]
Conclusion
The Ternivka Holy Ascension Monastery is proof that holiness does not age: the wooden church of 1908, erected without nails, survived all the storms of the 20th century and became the foundation of a new monasticism in 1998. In a miners’ city ruled by the headframe, the monastery reminds us: the true height is where prayer resounds. [1][3]