Mari Spiritual Center, Zarvanitsa

This Greek Catholic shrine is a worldwide pilgrimage center, where hundreds, thousands of believers annually gather. According to legend, the monastery appeared in these parts after the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to a Kiev monk. She told him to build a temple.

This Greek Catholic shrine is a worldwide pilgrimage center, where hundreds, thousands of believers annually gather. According to legend, the monastery appeared in these parts after the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to a Kiev monk. She ordered him to found a temple. Waking up, the monk saw a clogged source, over which the heavenly light of the icon of Our Lady with Jesus in his arms flashed. Upon learning of the miracle, believers began to come here. Over the years, a monastery has grown on this site.

Its main shrine was the miraculous Zarvanitskaya icon of the Mother of God. A major center of pilgrimage, these lands became after the coronation of the icon by the Pope. This significant event occurred in the 19th century. The shrine miraculously managed to survive even in the hard times of the Soviet regime. The Bolsheviks leveled the building of the monastery to the ground. But the icon was rescued by the locals.

The monastery began to revive only in times of independence of Ukraine. Near the river, on a mountain slope, erected a majestic cathedral with a 75-meter bell tower. A chapel was established above the healing spring. And nearby arranged a singing field and the gate church.

The spiritual center has the status of a place of "complete release".This means that believers not only release their sins, but also release them from punishment for committed acts. For this, the shrine should be visited on foot. The road can take several days.

It is most convenient to get to the shrine from Ternopil. The distance is about 50 km, public transport runs.