Nadstavna Church, Ternopil
The fortified Elevation of the Cross church above the pond, mentioned in 1570.
The Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross is called Nadstavna: it stands above the Ternopil pond, near the former western gate, the Lviv Gate. According to the city council website, it is the oldest church in Ternopil, built at the end of the 16th century, an architectural monument of national significance and part of the town's former fortifications. The first known mention is a charter of Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozky of 1570. The three-tier bell tower by the west facade was, according to the inscription above the entrance, completed on 28 July 1627, in the time of Tomasz and Katarzyna Zamoyski; the website of the regional library for young people gives the year 1629. The church survived a fire in 1831, in 1917 it was badly damaged by russian shells, and in the fighting of 1944 it suffered heavy losses. According to zabytki.in.ua, restoration was completed in 1959; the iconostasis was later restored by the woodcarver Petro Balushchak. Today it is a church of the OCU: a single-nave building under a gable roof with a small cupola, and a stern tower without decoration.
A working church above the water: the best angle is from the lake embankment. On 13.09.2026 russian drones hit a transport infrastructure facility and industrial premises in Ternopil, and one person was injured (LB.ua, 13.09.2026); on 29.09.2026 debris from a downed drone fell on an industrial facility (LB.ua, 29.09.2026).