The Mykolaivska Tserkva in Hlukhiv is a rare surviving example of church construction from the era of Hetman Ivan Mazepa. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that, despite numerous fires, alterations, periods of decay, and later restorations, the church has preserved much of its authentic appearance. It is listed in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine as a monument of history, architecture, and urban planning of national significance (Protection No. 180032-N).

Located in the historical center of Hlukhiv, on the ancient Council Square, the church served as the main cathedral of the city and witnessed significant events in 18th-century Ukrainian statehood. Cossack councils were held in front of the church: in 1708, Ivan Skoropadskyi was elected Hetman here; in 1727 – Danylo Apostol; in 1750 – Kyrylo Rozumovsky. It was also here, in the presence of Tsar Peter I, government officials, and local residents, that the ceremony of anathematizing Ivan Mazepa and his associates took place.

History and Architectural Evolution

The stone church was constructed on the site of an earlier wooden church of the same name in 1693–1695 by order of the Hlukhiv centurion Vasyl Yalotskyi. It was consecrated by the abbot of the Hlukhiv Saints Peter and Paul Monastery—future Saint Dimitry of Rostov (Tuptalo).

Originally, the church was a three-part, three-domed structure with a two-tier central roof, and did not have a brick bell tower. Throughout the 18th–19th centuries, its architectural appearance underwent several significant transformations:

• After the fire of 1748, the destroyed iconostasis was rebuilt.
• In 1811, during major renovations, northern and southern narthexes were added.
• In 1864, the iconostasis was reconstructed again and enriched with newly commissioned icons by the Italian painter Paolo Neruchelli, who settled in Hlukhiv and became known locally as Pavlo Nerush.
• In 1870, heating was installed.
• In 1871, according to the project of Hlukhiv architect O. Hross and funded by S. Tereshchenko, the upper part of the western narthex was dismantled and replaced with a new western porch and a high two-tier bell tower. This bell tower is a fine example of 19th-century architectural stylization, harmonizing with the original forms of the church.

Architectural Characteristics

The facades retain much of their authentic appearance. The exterior decoration is restrained: the edges are accentuated by wide pilaster strips and half-columns; the two-tiered windows have simplified frames with decorative broken cornices.

The upper parts of the church are both elegant and monumental, with a transition from larger to smaller prismatic volumes formed by plastically shaped roofs above each structural section. The domes are crowned with blind lanterns topped with wrought-iron crosses.

Inside, the space reflects principles of depth-axis composition and vertical development. An intramural passage to the choir survives in the northern wall of the nave, while in the southern wall of the western vestibule, stairs lead to the bell tower. Today, the interior walls are whitewashed.

20th-Century Destruction and Restoration

During the Soviet era, the church was closed. In 1930, all church furnishings were removed, the iconostasis destroyed, and the sacred space converted into a warehouse. Interior paintings also did not survive.

In 1976, the Ukrproektrestavratsiya Institute prepared a restoration project, which was implemented slowly over subsequent years. The church was returned to the religious community in 1991, and restoration was completed in 1992.

Archaeological Discoveries

In 2003, during an inspection of the basement beneath the nave, researchers discovered:

• A heating stove and ventilation duct extending beneath the entire wooden floor toward the altar—likely built during the 19th-century reconstruction.
• In the eastern corner of the basement, at a depth of 2–2.5 m, a crypt containing human remains.
• Nearby, at a depth of 3 m, another burial destroyed during church construction. Scholars believe the crypt may belong to Evdokia Kostyantynivna Charnysh (Holub) — widow of General Judge Ivan Charnysh and daughter of Anastasia Skoropadska (from her first marriage to General Bunchuzhnyi K. Holub).

In 2009, during the church’s renovation, workers uncovered fragments of the original late-17th-century floor in the altar area: ceramic tiles (20 × 20 × 3 cm), ranging in color from light brown to terracotta. Some cross-shaped tiles retain brown glaze; others are green. Broken rectangular tiles similar to Old Rus’ plinth brick were also found.

Archaeological excavations in 2013 revealed that the original floor of the brick church lies at a depth of 1.2 m. Two layers of charcoal were also discovered near the northern wall:

• one at a depth of 1 m, likely from the fire of 1748, covered by construction debris from the subsequent reconstruction;
• another layer at 0.6 m, corresponding to the fire of 1784.

During restoration of the niche on the eastern facade—now holding the icon of the Mother of God “Three Hands”—a unique example of late 17th-century Ukrainian stucco tilework was discovered. Once coated with plaster and layers of blue oil paint, it formed a type of kiot (icon niche). Cleaning revealed that the stucco is structurally integrated into the original 17th-century masonry and is covered with polychrome glaze.

Significance

The Mykolaivska Tserkva is of exceptional historical, architectural, and memorial value. It is:

• the oldest surviving brick building in Hlukhiv,
• a unique example of a three-part, three-domed Cossack-era church,
• a vivid illustration of the Cossack Baroque revival of the late 17th century,
• the only extant work of the renowned architect Matvey Yefimov.

References

1. Vecherskyi V. V. “Mykolaivska Tserkva in Hlukhiv.” Great Ukrainian Encyclopedia.
2. Vecherskyi V. Architectural and Urban Heritage of the Hetmanate: Formation, Research, Protection. Kyiv, 2001.
3. Vecherskyi V. V. “Antiquities of Hlukhiv.” Monuments of Ukraine: History and Culture, 1994, Nos. 3–6, pp. 57–62.
4. Vecherskyi V. Monuments of Architecture and Urban Planning of Left-Bank Ukraine. Kyiv, 2005.
5. Vecherskyi V., Belashov V. Hlukhiv. Kyiv: Abrys, 2003.
6. Putsko V. “On the Creative Legacy of Hlukhiv Artist P. Nerush.” In Northern Left-Bank Ukraine and Its Culture of the 18th–Early 20th Centuries. Sumy, 1991, pp. 70–71.
7. Tkachenko V. Orthodox Hlukhiv Region. Kyiv, 2001.