What to see in Zhabynya
- There is an ancient church in Zhabyniya, built on the basis of a medieval castle
- Ruins of the catholic church
- Old historical monuments
The first information about the village of Zhabynya dates back to 1469. One of the versions of the origin of the name is simple - once upon a time there was a swamp where a huge colony of frogs lived ;)
Church of the Ascension
The fortified church in Zabynia was noted as early as 1636. This is evidenced by an inscription on a slab above the old entrance: "The House of God was rebuilt by the priest Mykhailo of Zhabyn in 1636."
It is believed that the church was rebuilt from a small castle that once stood in Zhabynia in the 16th century. It probably served as an arsenal, gunpowder storage, etc. The temple has narrow windows, few of them, and we can also see that the walls are quite thick.
Originally it was an Orthodox church, and from the eighteenth century until 1946 the church belonged to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. In Zhabynia in the nineteenth century, the parish was subordinated to Kalne, and 389 Greek Catholics lived in Zhabynia. Then, with the prohibition of the UGCC, the church was closed. Since 1987, the Russian Orthodox Church operated here, and only after Ukraine became Independent the church again belonged to the UGCC. At the same time, the restoration of the church began. New interior paintings were made by artists, who lived in the village.
There is a village cemetery close to the ancient church, with the grave of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen. Next to it is the symbolic grave of the Fighters for the Freedom of Ukraine.
Not long ago, a good road was built to the church. A beautiful Way of the Holy Cross (Via Dolorosa) was also created.
The page of the Church of the Ascension in the village of Zhabynia at he Facebook demonstrates a rather active community life
Ruins of the catholic church in Zhabynya
A church was built in the center of the village in 1936. According to a stone tablet above the entrance to the church, the temple was built in honor of the 50th anniversary of the chaplaincy of Bolesław Twardowski, Archbishop of Lviv. At the end of the nineteenth century, 120 Roman Catholics lived in Zhabynia. Probably now there are none. In Soviet times, the church building was adapted for household needs. For a long time the church was roofless. In 2023, I saw the church with a new roof, and some work was being done inside.
Not far from Zhabynia, there is a historical monument - a hill with a cross on the grave of the fallen defenders of the Pomorian Castle (this stronghold is located a few kilometres from Zhabynia - 5 km in a straight line and 8 km by road) and the village of Zhabynia from the troops of the Turkish Pasha Ibrahim Shishman and the Crimean Khan Selim Giray in July 1675.
There is also a monument in the village commemorating the abolition of serfdom in Galicia in 1848, as well as sculptures of the Mother of God from the late 19th century.
It is interesting to know whether the building of the old 1st grade school, which was founded in 1857, has survived.
It is important to note that Zhabyn honours folk traditions, celebrates Christmas, performs a nativity scene, and celebrates Malanka.
