The SS Peter and Paul Svityaz Men’s Monastery is a young Volhynian monastery that has grown on the shore of Lake Svityaz, Ukraine’s deepest karst lake. It stands on the foundation of the old Svityaz parish, documented since 1531, and was founded in 2002 — locals testify it rose literally on a “tulip field” seen by a villager in a prophetic dream. [1][2]
At a glance
- Full name: SS Peter and Paul Svityaz Men’s Monastery (UOC, Volodymyr-Volynskyi Eparchy).
- Address: Svityaz village, Shatsk community, Kovel district, Volyn Oblast. [1]
- Prehistory: parish since 1531; the masonry church of 1846. [1]
- Monastery founded: 2002; first tonsure — 29 March 2002. [1]
- Foundation stone of the new church: 28 October 2003, in honour of the icon of the Mother of God “Supporter of Bread”. [1][3]
- Superior: Abbot Arsenii — the first professed monk of the monastery. [1][2]
History of the monastery
The Svityaz parish: 1531–1939
A church and parish in the village of Svityaz are documented as early as 1531, when they belonged to the Liuboml deanery. The church of that time was wooden and dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul. [1]
In the early 1840s, thanks to Count Wiadysław Branicki (1782–1843), construction of a masonry church began in Svityaz; in 1846 the church was consecrated. Its priests were Fr Fedir Tieterukovskyi and later Fr Yevfymii Pinkevych. [1]
The arrival of Soviet power in 1939 transferred the parish to the Volyn eparchy; in the following decades it endured all the usual hardships — from the military presence of the world war to solitary services. [1]
The 1990s: revival around Father Vasyl
In independent Ukraine people seeking genuine spiritual life began gathering around the young rector, Fr Vasyl. Among the first were the future hierodeacon Niphont (Oleksandr Shyndiapin) and the future hieromonk Serhii Omelianiuk, as well as Serhii Kramar. The church on the shore of Svityaz began to fill with young parishioners — and in the atmosphere of this youthful fervour the question of a monastery gradually matured. [1]
On 29 March 2002 a turning point came: the rector Fr Vasyl was tonsured into monasticism under the name Arsenii — the first monastic tonsure in the parish’s history. The next day Deacon Fedir Shopuk was ordained (today he is priest of the church of the village of Svityazki Smoliary). That same year 2002 saw the founding of the SS Peter and Paul men’s monastery. [1]
“Supporter of Bread”: the stone of 2003
On 28 October 2003, on the feast of the icon of the Mother of God “Supporter of Bread”, the Archbishop of Volodymyr-Volynskyi and Kovel Symeon celebrated the Liturgy and a moleben, after which the foundation stone of the church dedicated to this icon was laid, along with a capsule containing the document on the founding of the new SS Peter and Paul monastery. [1][3]
Local people associate many homely, almost domestic details with this event. A resident of the neighbouring village of Omeliane recounted that as long as 20 years earlier he had seen a dream: fences being dug on the tulip field by the lake (a villager indeed grew tulips for sale there) — locals read it as a foreshadowing of the monastery’s future foundation works. This story was later publicised as a local legend of brighter times: the wider world learned of it in 2008, when reporters came to write about the newly founded monastery. [1][2]
The monastery and the children’s shelter
From its first years the monastery became a home not only for monks: a foster boy is also brought up in the monastery, for whom Fr Arsenii replaced parents — the child lives in the monastery, attends the local school, and the superior goes to parent meetings instead of parents. This experience of social service became a constant mark of the Svityaz monastery. [2]
The spiritual meaning of the monastery by Svityaz
Svityaz — one of Ukraine’s deepest karst lakes — appears in the local imagination as an image of a depth that brings life. The name of the new church, “Supporter of Bread”, stresses the biblical theme of God the giver of bread: from the manna in the desert to the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. The iconography of this shrine ties the monastery’s ministry to daily care for the hungry and the traveller. [1][3]
The monastery continues the old Polissia pilgrimage tradition: despite its youth it grew on the foundation of the Svityaz parish, documented since 1531, and does not conceive of itself without unceasing prayer for people and country. Its modern expression is social service to children: the monastery has effectively become a parental home for a foster boy taken under its roof. [1][2]
Shrines and ensemble
- The SS Peter and Paul church (1846) — the masonry Orthodox church built with the Branickis’ count funds. [1]
- The church of the icon “Supporter of Bread” — newly built after the 2003 foundation stone. [1][3]
- Lake Svityaz — Ukraine’s deepest karst lake, a place of pilgrimage rest. [2]
- The “tulip field” — the legendary site of the prophetic dream about the future monastery. [1][2]
Practical information
- Address: Svityaz village, Shatsk community, Kovel district, Volyn Oblast. [1]
- Getting there: from Lutsk or Kovel — to Shatsk, then local transport to Svityaz; the monastery stands near the northern lake shore. [1]
- Services: an active monastery; liturgies on Sundays and feasts; daily schedule on site.
- Pilgrims: can be combined with rest at Svityaz; there are many campsites and holiday bases in the Shatsk region. [2]
Frequently asked questions
When was the monastery at Svityaz founded?
In 2002 — after the first monastic tonsure of Fr Arsenii on 29 March 2002. [1]
What stood here before?
An Orthodox parish with the SS Peter and Paul church, documented since 1531; the present masonry church is from 1846, under Count Wiadysław Branicki. [1]
What does “Supporter of Bread” mean?
An icon of the Mother of God in whose honour the foundation stone of the new monastery church was laid on 28 October 2003. [1][3]
Was the “tulip dream” really seen?
So the locals tell: a resident of Omeliane dreamt of digging fences on a tulip field 20 years before the monastery was built. It is a local legend — and therefore beloved by pilgrims. [1][2]
Who were the first inhabitants of the monastery?
Abbot Arsenii, hierodeacon Niphont and hieromonk Serhii Omelianiuk — former lay faithful of the church. [1]
Conclusion
The Svityaz monastery is the child of two centuries: an old parish of the 16th century and a young monastic fervour of the 2000s. Set by Ukraine’s deepest lake on a field seen in prophetic dreams, it stands today as a quiet support of northern Volhynian Orthodoxy. [1][2]