ON THE COSSACK GRAVES
Cossack Graves near Berestechko, lithograph, 19th century / ukrinform.ua
Traveling through the towns and villages of Rivne Oblast, one unexpectedly finds themselves on the island of Zhuravlykha in the town of Pliasheva. Here stands a low-slung fortress. Though it appears formidable, in reality, it is a holy sanctuary. Built not during the times of ancient princes but in 1914, it serves as a guardian of ancient events in Ukrainian history.
This is the center of the National Historical and Memorial Reserve «Field of the Battle of Berestechko», more commonly known as the Cossack Graves. The Cossack Graves is a real historical site, home to the largest grave in Ukraine of Cossacks and peasants who perished in the Battle of Berestechko.
THE BATTLE OF BERESTECHKO
The Battle of Berestechko took place in June 1651 between the Zaporizhian Host, led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky and supported by peasant insurgents and his allies — the Crimean Tatar army of Islam III Giray — on one side, and the Polish army of King Jan II Casimir on the other.
Intense fighting, marked by attacks, counterattacks, regroupings, retreats, betrayals, and acts of heroism, lasted for nearly two weeks. At one point, the Cossacks set up camp along the banks of the Pliashivka River, where they endured a siege that lasted almost ten days. According to various estimates (both Polish and Ukrainian historians), the number of participants in the battle reached 300,000, with about 100,000 soldiers from both sides perishing at Berestechko.
Due to the unexpected betrayal of their Tatar allies, Bohdan Khmelnytsky was captured, and his army found itself surrounded. In the merciless slaughter, about 10,000 Cossacks were killed. However, the rest of the army was saved when Hetman Ivan Bohun led them out of the encirclement. Their retreat was covered by 300 Cossacks, who, much like the famed 300 Spartans, perished heroically.
On the site of this battle — one of the largest in European history at the time — the St. George’s Monastery was erected.
The events of Berestechko have been etched into folk memory, and the battlefield has long been referred to as the Cossack Graves. Following the battle, local peasants erected a cross at the site and began bringing the skulls and bones of the fallen Cossacks. By the 19th century, people started visiting the site to pay homage to the heroes.
THE IDEA OF CREATING A MEMORIAL CHURCH
June 1908 marked the first official commemoration of the fallen Cossacks. It was during this event that the idea arose to build a memorial church on the island of Zhuravlykha.
Initially, a wooden Holy Trinity Chapel was erected to temporarily house the remains. In late May of the following year, Bishop Nikon of Kremenets consecrated the chapel, and soon, the first monks arrived, coming from the Pochaiv Lavra.
In 1912, during the early construction of the Cossack burial site, the idea of establishing a monastery-skete was proposed. Architect Volodymyr Leontovych was the first to suggest this and also advocated for adding an orphanage to the monastery complex.
That same year, a 17th-century wooden Cossack church, St. Michael’s, was relocated to the island of Zhuravlykha from the village of Ostrov. According to legend, Bohdan Khmelnytsky confessed and received communion in this church before the Battle of Berestechko.
A 50-meter underground passage was constructed from St. Michael’s Church to a crypt where the remains of the Cossacks are interred. The church’s wooden iconostasis, dating back to the 17th–18th centuries, has been preserved to this day. Its intricate carvings, adorned with gold and silver, continue to awe visitors.
MASTERPIECES OF IVAN IZHAKEVYCH
By the spring of 1914, the planned construction work on the island was completed. The main monastery church, St. George’s Cathedral, was built, along with residential quarters for the brotherhood (featuring a refectory and living rooms), a guesthouse, and a wall on the western side to give the impression of a fortress.
The western façade of the cathedral, serving as an external iconostasis, was painted in 1914–1915 by the renowned artist and iconographer Ivan Izhakevych (whose name now graces the workshops of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra). The composition, titled «Golgotha», covered the entire façade.
Together with his students, Izhakevych also decorated the vaults above the balconies, crafted the gates and doors, and created eleven Cossack-themed paintings. These paintings were placed in niches within the stone wall. Unfortunately, they were later taken to Austria, where their whereabouts remain unknown.
The cathedral, situated at the heart of the island, was designed by architect Volodymyr Maksymov, a student of the renowned master Oleksii Shchusev. The construction work was directly overseen by Volyn architect Volodymyr Leontovych.
Here is how Metropolitan Ilarion described the foundation of the skete:
«On June 17 and 18, 1910, a large crowd gathered in Zhuravlykha. A serene Ukrainian night descended, and during the night, a public memorial service was held. Tens of thousands of our peasants knelt and sang ‘Eternal Memory’ for the fallen Cossacks who gave their lives for the Orthodox faith and Ukraine…»
GEORGE’S CHURCH IS A UNIQUE PHENOMENON
St. George’s Church was built between 1910 and 1914 in the Cossack Baroque style, which was characteristic of 17th–18th-century Ukrainian architecture.
This church has no equal. Its central entrance doubles as an iconostasis dedicated to honoring the fallen Cossacks. Every year, on the ninth Friday after Easter, an open-air prayer service is held here.
The church is multi-leveled, featuring three floors, each with its own chapel and altar. The underground chapel is dedicated to Paraskeva of Friday, the middle one to St. George the Victorious, and the upper one, known as the «balcony church», is the Boris and Gleb Chapel.
The Cossack burial vault is located in the underground Paraskeva Church — a stone crypt with a glass sarcophagus, the final resting place of those who perished in the 1651 Battle of Berestechko.
The façade of St. George’s Chapel features a large arch filled with an iconostasis. This chapel was initially designed as a grand altar, capable of accommodating up to 200 priests for services. The square in front of the cathedral could hold tens of thousands of worshippers.
HISTORY LIVES ON
The solemn consecration of the «Cossack Graves» complex, including the newly founded monastery-skete, took place in June 1914. During the 1920s–1940s, around 30 monks and novices lived there, praying, working, and developing the holy sanctuary.
The monastery endured difficult times — surviving the arrival of Soviet rule and World War II. After the war, the Soviet regime suppressed the monastery as much as it could, allowing no trace of Ukrainian patriotism to emerge.
In the 20th century, the national phenomenon at Berestechko was studied by prominent figures such as Mykola Kostomarov, Ivan Krypiakevych, Volodymyr Hrabovetsky, Mykhailo Hrushevsky, and others.
In 1966, the site was transformed into the «Cossack Graves» Museum-Reserve. In 1991, the first year of Ukraine’s independence, the reserve was granted state status, and in 2008, it received the designation of a national reserve.
