Description of the attraction
The Zhvanets temple was founded by the Armenians who moved from Kamenets-Podolsk, after the expulsion of the Poles from Podillya, in 1699. It served as an Armenian church for almost a century, and after the Armenians left, it was rebuilt into the Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary.
The temple is located in the center of the small town of Zhvanets, where the Dniester River flows from the south and Zhvanchik from the north-west. The territory occupied by the temple is about half a hectare. The building is made in the Baroque style, with carved compositions of the facade.
Initially, the Armenians erected it next to the fortress walls, and the church itself was built in such a way that it was also a small fortress. Further, after the rebuilding of the Zhvanetsky castle, when the corner towers were modernized into bastions, two walls of the church had to be dismantled and moved further. After that, the vestibule and part of the church gallery had to be rebuilt. Thus, the church became a continuation of the fortification, and during the attacks of enemies on the city, some of the inhabitants hid behind the powerful walls of the temple.
During the Soviet era, the temple was converted into a factory. In our time, services are held in the church, and it continues to be gradually restored. Now it looks like a rather tall building, especially the bell tower. On three sides, except for the northern one (it entered modern buildings), it is surrounded by rather large stone walls with two gates. Confirmation that the temple used to carry a defensive mission is the loopholes that still exist. In the southwestern wall there are twelve loopholes and one gate opposite the entrance to the temple. The second gate is the remains of the gate tower. There are also six loopholes in the eastern wall, only the southern one has no loopholes. The tallest structure, the bell tower, also has loopholes.
