Kostiantynivka. Places of Worship

In Kostiantynivka, where the planned economy developed under the guidance of Marxist-Leninists, the atheist authorities did not build places of worship for spiritual cleansing. The townspeople were parishioners in the neighbouring village of Oleksandro-Shultyne, at the Church of St George, built by the landowner General Kotliarevsky in 1829.

The Church of St George. 1829. The village of Oleksandro-Shultyne, Kostiantynivka district, Donetsk region

One of the oldest churches in the region, which survived the Second World War, was closed in 1963. Like many other shrines, the Oleksandro-Shultyne church was turned into a store for chemicals, which destroyed its frescoes. In 1991 the church was returned to the faithful.

The Church of St George. 1829. The village of Oleksandro-Shultyne, Kostiantynivka district, Donetsk region

In 1984 the Orthodox community was, for the first time, allowed on the outskirts of the town, in the Chervonyi residential district, to adapt an empty building for use as a church; beside it the parishioners later built the Church of St Nicholas. In the early 2000s the construction of new standard churches began. Against the backdrop of ruined enterprises, closed schools and kindergartens, the raising of places of worship may seem far from a priority. But the church is separate from the state, and people feel a daily need for spiritual growth — they need somewhere to baptise their children, to marry, and to see loved ones off on their final journey according to Orthodox canons.

Kostiantynivka. The Church of the Dormition. 2007.

The Church of the Dormition was founded in the late 1990s at 168a Lomonosov Avenue. The construction work was carried out by the whole community with the help of sponsors and benefactors, and in 2007 the consecration took place.

The five domes and crosses were made in Kharkiv, the bells in Volodymyr-Volynskyi, and the iconostasis in Khartsyzk. 'Golden Hands' master craftsmen from Zakarpattia did the finishing work. A library and a Sunday school operate at the church.

The Church of the Dormition. 2007.

In the southern part of Lomonosov Avenue, in 2010, the Church of the Venerable Job of Pochaiv was consecrated.

Kostiantynivka. The Church of the Venerable Job of Pochaiv. 2010.

The community registered in 2000 and in 2003 set about building the shrine.

The Church of the Venerable Job of Pochaiv. 2010.

In the Sunday school, one of the best in the Donetsk region, about 70 children receive a spiritual upbringing. Conditions have been created for them to attend creative clubs, and festive events and excursions are held.

The Church of the Venerable Job of Pochaiv. 2010.

On the church grounds stands a khachkar to the victims of the earthquake in Armenia on 7 December 1988. Aid to the victims was given by mine rescuers from the Donbas, who have great experience of saving people in dangerous conditions.

Kostiantynivka. The monument to the victims of the earthquake in Armenia

Khachkar

A five-domed church in honour of the holy Prince Igor rises near the railway station at 108b Oleksa Tykhy Street.

The Church of St Prince Igor. 2017.

Construction went on throughout 2012-2017. Services have been held in the church since 2013. Churches are not often consecrated in honour of the passion-bearer and right-believing Prince Igor, whose reign fell in the years of fratricidal war.

The Church of St Prince Igor. 2017.

Times changed, the hubs of culture went dark, and in their premises communities founded Orthodox churches. The former cinemas 'Komsomolets' and 'Budivelnyk' have been consecrated, and now house the churches of St John of Kronstadt and the Holy Prophet Elijah respectively.

The Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah. The former 'Budivelnyk' cinema.

The Church of St John of Kronstadt. The former 'Komsomolets' cinema

Beside the adapted premises, the communities have begun building standard churches.

Construction of the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah

Construction of the Church of St John of Kronstadt

On Melitopolska Street, the building of the Greek Catholic Church of St Nicholas is nearing completion. Small in size, the church forms a cross in plan and is made of wood.

Construction of St Nicholas Church (UGCC)

For now, services are held in a temporarily adapted chapel.

The Chapel of St Nicholas (UGCC)

Not every town has a Muslim place of prayer. In Kostiantynivka, for the Muslim community 'Dzherelo', a mosque opened in 2011 at 23 Vysokovoltna Street, with a gilded dome 5 metres high and 6 metres in diameter.

Kostiantynivka. The mosque