Transfiguration Church, Velyki Sorochyntsi

openas of 2026-10-011732Naddniprianshchyna

Photo: Igorpysh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Hetman Apostol's baroque church of 1732, where Gogol was baptised.

The Transfiguration Church on the high right bank of the Psel was built through the efforts of Danylo Apostol — colonel of Myrhorod and, from 1727, Hetman of Left-Bank Ukraine; according to the ESU, it was built from the mid-1720s to 1732. The design is associated with Stepan Kovnir, a novice of the Lavra. On 5 February 1734 the hetman was buried in the crypt beneath the church, which became the family burial vault of the Apostols. Originally the church had nine domes; after the fire of 1811 it was left with five. Inside is a carved limewood iconostasis with over a hundred icons, assembled from three iconostases: according to RISU it has five tiers and is 17 m high and 22 m wide; according to the book “100 Velykykh Chudes Ukrainy” it has seven tiers and measures 22 by 17 m. In 1809 Mykola Gogol was baptised in this church.

Routes through this landmark

• Gogol Country