Cathedral of Lord Transfiguration, Kremenets

The church was built by the architect Paweł Giżycki in 1731-1743. Firstly this church was for the Jesuits monks and was built by Society of Jesus. Wiśniowiecki gave the greatest part of the money for the building of the church and adjacent buildings.

 

The Ostroh Academy in Ostroh, Rivne region is the first orthodox higher education institution on Ukrainian territory, but Jesuit College, now known as Cathedral of Lord Transfiguration is the first Catholic Higher Educational Institution of Ukraine.

 

After the cancellation of the Society by the Pope, in 1773 the church was transferred to a Catholic parish. At that time, Kremenets became a part of Poland. In 1830, a Polish uprising took place and the college students took an active part in it, but when the uprising was suppressed, this school was liquidated. After the liquidation, a scientific base, a library and even a botanical garden were transported to Kyiv, and on that basis the University of St. Prince Vladimir, now known as the National University of Kyiv, was founded. After that, in 1836 the Orthodox Volyn Theological Seminary was transferred here from the city of Annopol. From that moment the temple was handed over to the Orthodox Church.

 

After World War I, this territory again became the property of Poland that rebuilt the Catholic Church and educational institution. During World War II, the church was again transferred to the Orthodox Church, which made it an Orthodox Seminary.

 

Under Soviet rule, the temple was vacant for some time and then the Pedagogical Institute, shooting gallery and gym were opened here. Only after Ukraine gained independence, the church was handed over to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate and began to be actively restored.

 

Translated by: Roman Zubritsky