Intercession Church-Castle
Pokrovskaya castle-church
Ukraine, Yarmolinci
Church of the Intercession-Castle with Sutkovtsy is an excellent example of a medieval defensive type temple. The construction was built in the XIV century as a castle-fortress to protect against Tatar raids. In 1476, the castle was rebuilt into a church after the owner of these lands, F. Sutkovsky, began the construction of a new castle, the remains of which are located near the church. On the first floor there was a temple, on the second - defensive premises with loopholes, a two-tiered wooden bell tower was erected on the front facade. In plan, the church is the only defensive tetraconch in Ukraine, which looks like a flower with four petals. Perestroika in 1903 gave the church Russian Orthodox forms.
During the Soviet anti-religious campaigns from 1939 to 1989, the temple was closed twice. In 2007–2009, the Church of the Intercession was restored; since 2010, divine services have been held there.