Zarvanytsia

Sarwanyzja (Ukrainian Зарваниця; Russian Зарваница / Sarwaniza, Polish Zarwanica ) is a pilgrimage town in the Ternopil (Western Ukraine). At the same district municipality and the village Sapowa counts ( Сапова ).

His reached beyond the borders of Ukraine well-known due to the well site and 300 inhabitants, place the icon of the Mother of God Mary. Every year about one million pilgrims, the miraculous image. The pilgrimage site is maintained by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ( UGCC ), located in the territory of the Ternopil - archeparchy Sboriw.

Legend

The history of the place and the icon goes back to the 13th century. The legend tells that, refreshed a monk from Kiev, who was on the run from the Mongols to a source in 1240. During this stay, he prayed to the Virgin Mary and slept for a short time. In the dream he appeared to Mary. When he awoke he found his resting place the icon, he promised to this source to build a chapel and it kept the icon.

The new customer of miraculous events at the source, the curative effect was said quickly, reaching spread Duke Terebovlia Vasylko, the brother of the reigning Prince Daniel Romanovich. Vasylko demanded that the Marian icon it should be delivered, the monk refused to disclose why the Duke made ​​his way - he is thus symbolically as the first pilgrims - to the now chapel constructed in Sarwanyzja visit.

Place of pilgrimage

The first written records of the construction of a church dating from the 1458th In the years 1662-1688 Sarwanyzja was sacked by the Turks and partially burned down. The icon of Saint. Mary was saved and stored in a newly built church. 1740 was another icon on which the crucified Jesus is represented, preserved in the church of Sarwanyzja and consecrated in 1742 by Metropolitan Athanasius Sheptytskyy.

The first stone church was erected in 1754 and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. In it, a stone cross marks the site of the previous church built of wood. Pope Pius IX. (1846-1878) stated in 1867 Sarwanyzja to a sacred place of pilgrimage. During the First World War, the town was badly damaged in 1916. The reconstruction was completed in 1922, in the aftermath of reconstruction visited the leaders of the UGCC regular place of pilgrimage and prayed at the shrine built in the meantime. Among the most important were the major archbishops Andrej Scheptyzkyj and Jossyf Slipyj.

Underground Church

A recent destruction took place during the occupation of the Soviet authorities. Built Monastery of Studi tenor Dens, directly at the source, was burned to the foundation wall. The Trinity church was being used as storage. The water source was fenced and partially used as a garbage dump. Any religious activities were prohibited in 1946 by the Soviet militia banned and disabled, it originated in the Ukraine an underground church. The miraculous image of Mary and the icons had been safely hidden in catacombs, was celebrated here by the so-called underground church of Ukraine the Eucharist. In the woods near the village of Sarwanyzja secret meetings took place, there was also built a secret seminary and consecrated bishops of the UGCC. From this time mainly emerged the Blessed Twenty-five of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, some lived in the area of Ternopil and Sarwanyzja.

Rebuilding

The first public Mass in Sarwanyzja was celebrated on July 17, 1988 together with more than 10 000 believers of Bishop Pavlo Wasylyk. After re-opening of Trinity Church, the faithful celebrated their first Mass in the main church on 23 November 1989. 1991, the repairs in the main church was completed, the source could be reactivated and cleaned. The previous peak after the reconstruction was the visit of Pope John Paul II in 2001. Since 2009 the Ukrainian Military Ordinariate organized an international Militärwallfahrtnach Sarwanyzja.

Today's " Marian Center Sarwanyzja " is a church complex and consists of the Holy Trinity Church ( 1754), the Church of Our Lady of Sarwanyzja, the Annunciation church and the chapel at the spa.