Manyava Skete

The skete at Manyava was founded in 1611 by Yov Kniahynytsky in forest below the Gorgany, and it was built to be defended: stone walls, a gate tower and a bell tower enclosing the church and cells, deliberately hard to reach. It was closed by the Austrians in 1785 and stood ruined for two centuries before restoration and the return of monks. A waterfall of about twenty metres is a further twenty minutes up the valley path.

Background

The skete is dedicated to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and is also called the Ukrainian Athos. In 1618 the skete housed 40 monks. In 1621 it gained stauropegic status, placing it directly under the Patriarch of Constantinople, and in 1628 a church synod in Kyiv made it the principal monastery for the Ruthenian, Belz and Podolian Voivodeships, with more than 500 monasteries across Ukraine, Moldova and Romania under it. It was renovated in 1781, shortly before the closure of 1785, and reestablished in the early 1990s. Today 8 monks live here, and a stone cave of 10 x 3 meters marks where the first monks settled in the 13th century.

Source: Wikipedia, "Manyava Skete"

What's there

• The walled precinct - stone walls, gate and bell tower from the 1611 foundation.
• The church - the restored monastery church inside the walls.
• The waterfall - a twenty-metre fall up the valley beyond the monastery.
• The forest - beech and fir closing round the whole site.

When to go

May to October is the comfortable season and the waterfall runs best in spring. The path is muddy after rain. Winter access is difficult.

Before you go

Much of what stands is restoration rather than original fabric. The waterfall path is rough and slippery. The site is active and modest dress is expected.

Nearby

Dovbush Rocks are west, and Ivano-Frankivsk is north.

Key facts