mytravels

wooden tserkvas


states: [poland] [ukraine]

category: cultural

year: 2013

region: Europe and North America

latitude/longitude: 49.5338888889, 21.0322222222

Wooden Tserkvas

Situated in the eastern fringe of Central Europe, the transnational property numbers a selection of sixteen tserkvas (churches). They were built of horizontal wooden logs between the 16th and 19th centuries by communities of Orthodox and Greek Catholic faiths. The tserkvas bear testimony to a distinct building tradition rooted in Orthodox ecclesiastic design interwoven with elements of local tradition, and symbolic references to their communities’ cosmogony.  The tserkvaare built on a tri-partite plan surmounted by open quadrilateral or octagonal domes and cupolas. Integral to tserkvas are iconostasis screens, interior polychrome decorations, and other historic furnishings. Important elements of some tserkvas include wooden bell towers, churchyards, gatehouses and graveyards.

Copyright © 1992 - 2024 UNESCO/World Heritage Centre. All rights reserved.

location: