Old Believers' Dormition Cathedral, Bila Krynytsia
A five-domed cathedral of 1908 in a village that became the centre of world Old Belief, 2 km from the border.
Old Believers settled in Bukovyna after Emperor Joseph II granted permission in 1783, and on 28 October 1846 Metropolitan Ambrose arrived in Bila Krynytsia — thus the village became the centre of the Bila Krynytsia hierarchy. The Dormition Cathedral was built in 1900–1908 at the expense of the Ovsiannikov family to a design by the architect Klika; by other accounts, construction began in 1901. In 1978 the five-domed church was recognised as a monument of national significance. In 1996 and 2006 world councils of the Old Believer Church were held here. In 2025 the cathedral and two more churches of the village were scanned in 3D for a future restoration, but the complex still remains ownerless property.
The village of Bila Krynytsia, ~40 km from Chernivtsi, 2 km from the border with Romania — a border zone, bring your passport. By minibus via Hlyboka (RISU, 02.2021). The community is closed: entry to the church by arrangement.