« 2026. # 3 (189)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 3 (189), 841—855

UDK726:7.033(477.84­22Коцюбинчики)”16/19″

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

SACRED HERITAGE OF THE VILLAGE OF KOTSIUBYNCHYKI, 17th—20th CENTURIES: ST. MYKOLAIV CHURCH AND ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPEL

MELNYCHUK Ihor

• ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-­0002-­7465­-2496
• Associate Professor,
• National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture,
• Department of Painting and Composition,
• 20 Voznesenskyi Uzviz St., Kyiv, 04053, Ukraine
• Contacts: e­-mail: igor.melnychuk@naoma.edu.ua

MELNYCHUK Anastasia

• ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-­0001-­9930­-1652
• Senior Lecturer, Department of Digital Visual Art;
• Art Critic, Local Cultural Heritage Researcher,
• National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture,
• 20 Voznesensky Uzviz St., Kyiv, 04053, Ukraine,
• Contacts: e-­mail: a.melnychuk@naoma.edu

Abstract. Introduction. The sacral architecture of rural settlements in Western Ukraine, particularly in the Western Podillia region, represents a crucial yet vulnerable layer of cultural heritage. For centuries, local churches and chapels served as spatial, spiritual, and social anchors for rural communities, shaping their identity and interconfessional dynamics.

Problem Statement. Despite their historical and architectural value, minor rural sacral objects are frequently overlooked in generalized historical studies. Consequently, the lack of comprehensive research on specific regional monuments leads to the erasure of important segments of cultural and religious memory, especially regarding their destruction during the geopolitical shifts of the 20th century.

Purpose. The study aims to comprehensively reconstruct the history, architectural features, and pastoral management of the Roman Catholic chapel founded by the Potocki family, as well as the Greek Catholic wooden Church of St. Nicholas in Kotsiubynchykiv village (Chortkiv district, Ternopil oblast), while analyzing the transformations of the local sacral space throughout the 17th and 20th centuries.

Methods. The methodological framework relies on an interdisciplinary approach, combining historical­systemic, source­critical, and chronological methods. Crucially, the study integrates microhistorical analysis with oral history methods, interviewing local long­livers to verify archival data and fill gaps in the visual and structural descriptions of the lost heritage.

Results. Based on newly introduced archival documents from Ukrainian and Polish repositories, parish schematisms, and epistolary sources, the paper traces the legal status and succession of the Roman Catholic chapel under the patronage of the Potocki and Koziebrodzki families. It highlights a unique case of interconfessional compromise where a Greek Catholic priest performed sacraments for Roman Catholic children due to logistics issues.

Keywords: sacral architecture, Roman Catholic chapel, Potocki family, Koziebrodzki family, Greek Catholic church, oral history, World War II, Western Podillia, Kotsiubynchyk, Kociubinczyki.

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