On 8 September 2023, a series of exhibitions “Religious Communities of Old Bohuslav” opened in the city of Bohuslav. The centuries-long life of national communities in the Bohuslavshchyna – Poles, Jews, and Ukrainians – is best evidenced by their religious activities. That is precisely the reason why the “Around Us. UA” NGO presented a series of exhibitions “Religious Communities of Old Bohuslav” dedicated to the Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Orthodox communities.
The exhibitions “Engravings by Napoleon Orda: Roman Catholic Churches”, “Synagogues of Bohuslav. Forgotten History”, “Orthodox Churches of Bohuslavshchyna” tell about the ancient churches that were located, and some of them are still preserved, on the territory of the Bohuslav community. The exhibition projects showcase typical religious buildings in our region. The exhibitions include copies of photographs of churches and residents who could have been their parishioners. Moreover, according to the curator of the exhibitions, historian Andrii Humeniuk, ‘the most crucial task of this project is to draw attention to the restoration of lost, partially destroyed and abandoned cultural monuments’.
The first visitors to the exhibitions were the participants of the international roundtable “Dialogue of Cultures: Multicultural Bohuslav”, including historians, local lore experts and Bohuslav residents interested in the history of their region.
The exhibition “Orthodox Churches of Bohuslavshchyna” is located on the premises of an unfinished monastery that dates back to the 16th century. The exhibition tells a story of the ancient churches that were built in Bohuslav and surrounding villages accompanied by the photographs and history of the monastery and the churches that have been preserved: Holy Trinity Church, 19th century (Bohuslav city), Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1800 (Borodani village), Church of the Apostle John the Theologian, 18th century (Rozkopantsi village), Church of the Assumption, 19th century (Vilkhivets village); the churches that have been destroyed: Church of the Intercession, 1903 (Svarka village, destroyed in 1982 at the request of the executive committee of the Savar village council of people’s deputies), St. Nicholas Church, 1758 (Chaiky village, burned down in 1979 under unknown circumstances), Trinity Church, 19th century (Yatsiuki village, destroyed in 1976 by order of the party organiser of the collective farm party organisation, Comrade Semester M.I.), St. Nicholas Church, 18th century (Shcherbashentsi village (former Bohuslav district), destroyed in 1985 at the request of the executive committee of the Shcherbashentsi Village Council of People’s Deputies), the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, 1706 (Synytsia village, destroyed in 1962); photographs of Orthodox residents of the Bohuslav district in the late 19th century – early 20th century; church construction project. The banner shows a visualisation of the completed church.
The exhibition “Engravings by Napoleon Orda: Roman Catholic Churches” is located in the dilapidated Church of St. Wladyslaw, built in the early 19th century (services are held in a small renovated room). Today, the church requires funding for complete reconstruction and restoration. The exhibition presents a descriptive part about the churches of the Kyiv region that Napoleon Orda recorded in his works. The exhibition banner provides information about the canonisation of the Ulm family, a family of Catholics who saved Jews from execution at the cost of their own lives during World War II, as well as the history of the church. The exhibition includes attributes and items used during Catholic services, engravings of churches in the Kyiv province of Napoleon Orda (Kyiv, Motovylivka, Bila Tserkva, Bilopilskyi temple (now Zhytomyr region), Ruzhyn (now Zhytomyr region); photographs of Catholics of the Bohuslav region in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
The exhibition “Synagogues of Bohuslav. Forgotten History” is housed in the Kamianytsia (a stone house), built in 1726. The building was originally a “Heder” (or “cheder”) – a Jewish elementary school where services were held to teach religious traditions to young people. The 16 main synagogues in Bohuslav city have not survived to this day. Today the building needs restoration of the facade and roof. On the ground floor of the building, you can view the photos and learn the history of the Kamianytsia, see photos of the destroyed synagogue, the Jews of Bohuslav in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the project of the restored facade of the Heder (the banner shows a visualisation of the completion of the building’s restoration).
The exhibitions were prepared and presented as part of the project “Ukrainian Life. Folk Calendar of Bohuslavshchyna” and with the support of the “Partnership for a Strong Ukraine” Foundation.
