Scientific and practical conference “Church of Paraskeva in the village of Kosmach. Past. The present. Future”

On January 13, 2024, a scientific and practical conference “Church of Paraskeva in the village of Kosmach. Past. The present. Future”, dedicated to one of the most famous lost sacred monuments of the Hutsul region – Dovbushivska Church in the village of Kosmach. The conference was organized by King Danylo University. The leading specialist of the Institute of History, Ethnology and Archeology of the Carpathians, Bohdan Paska, took part in the conference, who introduced everyone present to the role and place of the village of Kosmach in the history of the Ukrainian dissident movement of the second half of the 20th century. The topic of B. Paska’s report was the Easter provocation of the Soviet regime in 1970 against the famous dissident, historian and publicist Valentнn Moroz. The leading specialist of the Institute, Petro Siredzhuk, told about the history of the Dovbushivska Church in Kosmach.

During the conference, a 3D project of the church of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva was presented. The teachers and students of UKD worked on the project, taking as a basis the drawings of the associate professor of UKD Zenovy Sokolovsky and archival images, descriptions and photos that were found. The initiative involves the creation of an interactive space on the site of the destroyed temple. Candidate of architecture, associate professor of the Department of Architecture and Construction Andriy Savchuk acted as the project manager.

The participants of the event also discussed formal decisions regarding the reconstruction of the church, the functions of the potentially restored building, the value and importance of preserving such a sacred object for future generations. The researchers also presented the sacred heritage of Kosmach, reflected in the collection of the Carpathian Art Museum. The participants of the conference visited the eco-house “Butynar”, where they had a unique opportunity to learn about the authentic features of the Kosmach region, current crafts, everyday life and culture.