In Khmelnytskyi region, archaeologists excavated the bell tower of an ancient rock-cut monastery

The rock-cut monastery in Malievtsi near the waterfall. Photo: «KhM-INSIDE».

In the village of Malievtsi in Khmelnytskyi region, an archaeological expedition led by Pavlo Nechytailo presented the results of excavations on the territory of an ancient rock-cut monastery. This was reported by «KhM-INSIDE».

The researchers uncovered a massive foundation of a bell tower that was wiped off the face of the earth during the years of Soviet repressions against the Church. The findings allow the monastery to be dated to the 12th–13th centuries, confirming the deep historical roots of Orthodoxy in this region.

The builders constructed the walls of the discovered bell tower using an ancient technique: the outer part was laid from hewn stone, while the interior was filled with a mixture of small rock. In terms of its solidity, the structure resembled a defensive tower. «The goal of our expedition is to uncover the remains of the bell tower destroyed by the Bolsheviks in the 1930s along with the church», said Pavlo Nechytailo.

At a depth of approximately one meter, the excavation participants discovered fragments of ancient Rus ceramics, 18th-century coins, and burials belonging to the pre-Mongol period. One of the most valuable finds was a fragment of textile with a woven metallic thread, which may have been part of a church vestment.

The director of the Malievtsi Museum, Anastasiia Donets, noted that fragments of frescoes were also found in the cultural layer — they had been knocked off the walls of the church and used as construction rubble during 19th-century renovations.

As SPZh previously reported, the foundation of the 12th-century Resurrection Church was discovered in Hrodna.

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