In the Kherson region, the occupiers destroyed a unique 18th-century Cossack church

In Beryslav, in the Kherson region, the Holy Vvedensky Church—a unique wooden architectural landmark of national significance that was nearly 300 years old—was destroyed by fire as a result of a Russian attack. The church was destroyed by a Russian drone strike on August 2.

This was reported by the publication Most.

The Church of the Holy Presentation was one of the oldest wooden churches in Ukraine and the only one of its kind in the Kherson region. It was built in 1725–1726 from oak without the use of metal nails. The structure was considered a rare example of Zaporizhzhia church architecture and the Middle Dnieper architectural school.

Originally, the church was built in the Cossack fortress of Perevolochna, located in what is now the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. At the end of the 18th century, the Cossacks dismantled it, transported it down the Dnipro River on rafts to Beryslav, and reassembled it at its new location. That is why the church was called a true “traveling church.”

Over nearly three centuries, the sanctuary has survived the Russian Empire, Soviet persecution—during which it was closed and even slated to be dismantled for firewood—as well as World War II. After Russia’s full-scale invasion, the church remained perhaps the only religious building in the de-occupied part of the Kherson region that had not suffered serious damage from shelling. However, this time the landmark was destroyed by a Russian drone.

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Photo: Oleg Marchuk

Until recently, the church was under the administration of the Novokakhovka Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). In 2023, the Beryslav City Military Administration appealed to the Ministry of Culture with a proposal to return the landmark to state ownership, but this issue was never resolved.

In 2025, a photograph of the Holy Vvedensky Church was included in the list of the best entries in the international photo contest “Wiki Loves Monuments.” The destruction of the church represents yet another irreparable loss to Ukraine’s cultural heritage as a result of Russian aggression.

Андрій Колісніченко