Church of the Ascension

The church in Novyi Vytkiv is one of the most striking sacred examples based on the principles of affirming Ukrainian identity. It was built in 1910 and is a brick, single-domed church of Byzantine architecture with modernist wall paintings and an iconostasis. Many famous names were involved in the creation of the church. It was built at the expense of patrons, including the famous opera singer Oleksandr Myshuga and Count Stanislav Badeni, the grandfather of Vytkove. The construction was led by civil engineer Yakiv Rudnytskyi according to a project designed by Vasyl Nahirnyi. The author of the iconostasis and the altar icon was Osyp Kurylas, and the vicarious icons were painted by Polish artist Konstanty Dzbanski. The walls are covered with ornamental and narrative paintings by Pavlo Kovzhun and Mykhailo Osinchuk, characterized by a modern style based on Byzantine frescoes and national elements. The stained-glass windows were designed by S.-W. Matejko in the Krakow stained-glass workshop of S.G. Zhelenski. Today, the church has been restored from the outside, and the memorial paintings have also been restored, while the unpainted walls have been supplemented with new paintings by restoration artists Oksana Sadova and Oleh Rishniak.