Prelesne. The Bantysh Palace. Charm and disenchantment

The very name of the village of Prelesne suggests that something here was charming, unusual and alluring. In a picturesque part of the Sloviansk district of the Donetsk region, a landscape-and-architectural monument of the 19th century has survived, but for over 20 years now it has been turning into ruins.

Prelesne, Sloviansk district, Donetsk region. The Bantysh Palace. 1837.

The Samara St Nicholas Hermitage Monastery

The Samara St Nicholas Monastery, with its centuries-long history, is called the Hermitage Monastery because in olden times it belonged administratively to no settlement and was the only monastery in the forests of the Lower Dnieper region.

The Samara St Nicholas Monastery. Novomoskovsk, Dnipropetrovsk region.

The Chernihiv Dytynets. The chronicle cradle of Kyivan Rus

Getting to know Chernihiv should begin with the Dytynets — its cradle, which gave rise to the development of the capital city of the Chernihiv-Siverian principality.

Chernihiv. The Dytynets. The Transfiguration Cathedral. 1036.