The Manyavsky Skyt Monastery is
surrounded by defensive walls above which rise the pare-shaped
domes of a church. The road leading to it climbs high through the
dense woods.
The monastery was founded in 1606 by Yov (Job) Knyahynetsky, a
Ukrainian from the small town of Tysmenytsya in the land of
Prykarpattya (“sub-Carpathian”). Knyahynetsky had spent
twenty years at the end of the 16th century in the monastic
community of Mount Athos where he had taken monastic vows before he
returned to Ukraine with a mission of introducing the monastic
rules of Mount Athos into the monasteries of Western Ukraine. And
also, he founded a monastery, Manyavsky Skyt (the word
“skyt” actually means “a small and secluded
monastery”).
The seclusion of the monastery did not prevent it from being
raided, pillaged and ruined on several occasions. But each time, as
soon as the invaders left, the monks returned and the buildings
were rebuilt. Some losses were irretrievable though. There was a
big library in the religious school that functioned in the
monastery — in fact, it was the third most important
religious school in Ukraine after the ones in Kyiv (Kyiv Mohyla
Academy) and the one in the town of Ostroh. After one of the raids,
all the books disappeared without trace.
It is believed that Ivan Vyhovsky, Hetman of Ukraine in
1657–1659, is buried in Manyavsky Skyt, though the exact
location of the grave remains undiscovered.
The Soviet authorities closed down the Manyavsky Skyt Monastery and
at one time planned to turn it into a rest home for Soviet
cosmonauts, probably because the skyt was known as a place where
even a short stay restores health and provides energy for many
weeks. A museum was set up instead, which to some extent, prevented
the monastery from being vandalized.
After Ukraine regained her independence, the monastery was opened
and seven monks and a dozen lay brothers came to live there. One of
the monks is an American of Ukrainian descent from Chicago.
The Blessed Rock that had had water seeping from it, went dry for
some time, giving water only on the Feast Day of John the Baptist,
but after the revival of the monastery had began, it started giving
water again. The monks believe it to be a sign of God’s
Grace. The water is like tears of joy — the sure sign that
the monastery is coming back to life. The monks collect three to
four litres of this water daily. They say that the water usually
appears when the services are held in the monastery church.
How to get to monastery? If you are going from Ivano-Frankivsk, to
Nadvornaya, on the little town Starunia turn to right and go to
Solotvin and then Manyava. In the center of this little town search
for big wooden hotel, after it turn to left, cross the river and
you will arrive in parking place of monastery. If you can't find
the monastery, ask for help the locals – everyone knows,
where this sacred place is.
To find the cache you must walk
around the monastery and go to the trail, which leads to the
Blessed rock. Then find little wooden bridge over the river and
search under it. The cache is 07l plastic container with logbook,
pencil, some items for trade.
Cache was placed in year
2007 by milyenko, but original cache place was taken by landslide,
so the location, coordinates, description and hint is changed by
new owner.