Pidlyute. Tour in the summer residence of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Metropolitans

 13.01.2011 Pidlyute. Tour in the summer residence of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Metropolitans

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Pidlyute – the purest European zone in the Carpathians

“Green Ukraine” is pleased to introduce a new route in the Carpathians. This place is called Pidlyute. Obviously, it can be called one of the cleanest parts of Europe.

Tour to Pidlyute

Since late 20-ies of the XXth century every summer the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky paid a visit to this region to cure his feet cold in the Russian captivity. This exotic corner of the Carpathians have been visited not only by clergy, but also by many famous cultural figures.

Nowadays there are still people who remember the Metropolitan. “… Andrey Sheptytsky mostly stayed in the “chamber”. He had a chapel there. And when the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the local church, the monk brought him back to the cart, as he could not walk. The nuns prepared the food and cleaned the house. The monk who accompanied the Metropolitan tried to preserve his peace. That’s why it was difficult to get to him for ordinary people.”

The “Cedar Chamber” is the third option of Residence. In size, architectural and building materials differ from the original. That’s why we can call them “chamber” only conditionally. After the World War II the fire destroyed completely the unique recreation complex in Pidlyute. However, the famous recreational place wasn’t empty for a long time. With change of the ownership, there were changed the times and customs. “The Soviets” not only nationalized the church lands, but also forced the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to the underground. First in the “chamber” there was a sanatorium for treating the woodcutters. The Soviet government made this tactical move to show the incredulous people of Galicia the tinted face of the Stalin’s socialism. After a while Pilyute became a closed resort of the soviet nomenclature. It was visited many times by the political leaders of top ten of that time, specially by Petro Shelest – the Marshal of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact Commander-in-chief and Viktor Kulikov . The powerful guests were brought here mostly by helicopters for hunting deer and bears.

After the collapse of the USSR the fate of the “Cedar Chamber” remained uncertain. Subsequently it could be in the property of some oligarch if it was not timely initiated by the hierarchy of the rebuilt Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. So, later and till nowadays it is owned by the UGCC.

Today Pidlyute is fully restored and has all conditions for recreation. Nearby there is a church and a trout fishery. Here there are many mineral springs of the hydro-sodium chloride and sodium chloride. The waters are strongly saturated with carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.

Several years ago one Polish big traveler visited Pidlyute. After seeing some snail on the tree he exclaimed in delight: “…it is the cleanest place! These snails are unmistakable indicators of purity. They have disappeared almost everywhere on the planet. To happen to see them is a rarity!”

This tour is very new and fresh. If you are interested to try it, so please contact us for all the Info.

See Pidlyute on the map. Green Ukraine
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Pictures of Pidlyute

 Pidlyute. Interior of the church Pidlyute. A grotto Pidlyute. Mosaic on the church wall Pidlyute. The main building

“Pidlyute” Area is known for its historical places. In the beginning of the ХХ century, Bishop of L’viv, Silvester Symbratovych, built the “Cedar Chamber” – a ummer residence of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Metropolitans. Valuable cedar timber was used for the construction of this beautiful building. During World War I, it was destroyed but later rebuilt by Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky. The residence had 50 rooms, among which were a billiard-room, a dance-hall, a library with a rich collection of books that disappeared during World War II, and 14 balneal baths. Now the building is completely restored after a fire it recently survived. Near it, there is a grotto, a walking area, and several mineral water pools. Pidlyute is famous for its mineral water springs. You can quench your thirst with fresh, crystal-clear mineral water and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding nature. These mineral waters have been proven to solve health problems connected with poor blood circulation, nervous system disorders, and chronic inflammatory processes.