Movchansky monastery

The building of the ancient monastery has unusual features, rare for Ukrainian architecture. The cathedral belongs to the type of multifunctional religious buildings, adapted to defense, which are called "fortress churches".

The history of the founding of the Movchansky monastery dates back to the far XV century. In 1405, 20 versts east of Putivl, a small monastery appeared on the site of the miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was called the Mvchansky (Nativity of the Mother of God) Monastery.

During the years 1602-1604 stone fortifications were built – and the monastery became a real defensive outpost. The monastery served as a powerful fortress, in which monks and local residents repeatedly found shelter.

Since the end of the XVII century, the monastery experienced various periods of reconstruction and decline, in the first half of the XX century the monastery was closed, and the monks were dispersed. In the revolutionary period (1917-1920), the premises of the monastery were used as an orphanage, a rural vocational school and a military factory. The activities of these institutions have resulted in huge destruction of the architectural monument.

Since 1960, the restoration work was carried out at the monastery, and 17 years later the State Historical and Cultural Reserve was established here. Although in the Soviet era, a million rubles of budget funds were spent on restoration, none of the sights were taken out of the emergency situation.

In 1987, when the ruins of the Movchansky monastery became part of the Putivl historical and cultural reserve, its revival began. In 1992, the building was returned to the bosom of the church. It housed a man's monastery, and since 1997, by decision of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the status of the monastery was changed to the female one.