The Holy Feodorivskyi (St Theodore’s) Men’s Monastery in the Vapniarka town of the former Tomashpil district is the youngest monastery in our catalogue and one of the two monasteries of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Vinnytsia Oblast. Founded in 2009 through the efforts of Hieromonk Amfilokhii, it grew out of the parish revival that covered the Tomashpil region after decades of Soviet atheism. In 2013 the religious organization “Holy Feodorivskyi Men’s Monastery of the Vinnytsia-Tulchyn Eparchy” was officially registered in Vapniarka. [1][3]
At a glance
- Full name: Holy Feodorivskyi Men’s Monastery of the Vinnytsia-Tulchyn Eparchy, OCU.
- Address: Vapniarka, Vinnytsia Oblast (former Tomashpil district).
- Founded: 2009; Hieromonk Amfilokhii is named as the monastery’s first settler and caretaker.
- Registration: the religious organization was registered on 06.08.2013, EDRPOU code 38640559.
- Named after: Saint Theodore — by its very name the monastery points to the Venerable Theodore, Prince of Ostroh.
- Status: an active men’s monastery of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
History of the monastery
Vapniarka: a railway town on the watershed
Vapniarka is an urban-type settlement founded in 1870 as a railway junction on the divide between the Dniester and the Southern Buh rivers, 120 km from the oblast capital. Religious life here was parish-based for decades; after Ukraine’s independence, new communities arose in the Tomashpil region out of the single historical parish — in Yaryshivka, Zholoby, Komarhorod and in Vapniarka, where people could finally pray in their own churches. [2][4]
2009: founding of the monastery
According to the registry of monasteries of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Feodorivskyi monastery was founded in 2009; its first monk and caretaker became Hieromonk Amfilokhii. It was the early days of the Vinnytsia-Bratslav (today Vinnytsia-Tulchyn) eparchy of the then UOC of the Kyivan Patriarchate, and the young monastery became one of its spiritual centres. [1]
Official registration of 2013
On August 6, 2013 the religious organization “Holy Feodorivskyi Men’s Monastery of Vinnytsia-Tulchyn” was registered in Vapniarka (EDRPOU 38640559). Together with the OCU women’s monastery of the region, the Vapniarka monastery entered the small but notable ranks of monastic communities of Eastern Podillia. [3]
Today
Today the monastery functions as a men’s monastery of the OCU Vinnytsia-Tulchyn eparchy. According to the media, in Vinnytsia and the oblast it is one of the two monasteries of the Kyiv Patriarchate/OCU as of the unification of Ukraine’s Orthodox churches in 2018–2019. The young community keeps the tradition of community-based Orthodoxy in the Tomashpil region. [1]
What to see
- The monastery church of Saint Theodore — the spiritual centre of the monastery.
- Vapniarka — a railwaymen’s town with a century-and-a-half history.
- Within a 30 km radius: Tomashpil with its legendary market and geological finds (the famous agates and flint of the Vapniarka deposits, known since Soviet times).
Practical information
- Address: Vapniarka, former Tomashpil (now Tulchyn) district, Vinnytsia Oblast.
- Getting there: Vapniarka is a railway junction: trains from Vinnytsia and Odesa stop here; buses from Vinnytsia and Tomashpil.
- Services: liturgies follow the OCU eparchy’s schedule; monastic rule daily.
- Contacts: reach the monastery via the Vinnytsia-Tulchyn eparchy of the OCU.
- Pilgrims: the monastery is young and small — it is best to arrange a visit in advance.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Feodorivskyi monastery founded?
In 2009 — according to the OCU monastery registry; the religious organization was registered in 2013. [1][3]
Where is it located?
In Vapniarka, Vinnytsia Oblast — the former Tomashpil (now Tulchyn) district. [2][3]
After which saint is the monastery named?
After Saint Theodore — by the monastery’s own name, which points to the Venerable Theodore, Prince of Ostroh.
Who founded the monastery?
Hieromonk Amfilokhii is mentioned as the monastery’s first settler and caretaker. [1]
Is it an active monastery?
Yes — an active men’s monastery of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. [1]
Conclusion
The Feodorivskyi monastery is a child of the newest revival: a monastery that arose not on ruins, but out of the prayer of a railway town of the Tomashpil region. Its history is only being written — and that is a good reason for a pilgrim to watch a monastery being born in the 21st century. [1][4]