hrushiv 3

The story of the willow

Hrushiv is located on the right bank of the river Bystritsa.

It covers three former villages - Stare Selo, Krasna and Kalicha Hora.

At first glance, it is no different from other villages in the Lviv region. The same old roads, the usual village houses, in some places more elegant, three churches, a school, a kindergarten, a hospital...

There, the wooden chapel of the Holy Trinity... 

stands on a gentle slope, in the northern part of the village, near the Drohobych-Komarno road.

The ancients say that once, about two centuries ago, on the site of the Chapel of the Holy Trinity grew an old hollow willow. The peculiarity of the willow was that on its branch hung the icon of the Blessed Virgin, and from the hollow you could get healing water.

The peasants loved to come to this willow, there they recovered.

However, the local officials did not like this pilgrimage to the miraculous place, so they looted the shrine: cut down a tree, threw sewage into the well, and destroyed the fence around it.

People managed to save the icon of the Blessed Virgin... 

by hiding it in the main church of the village.

But in 15 years, namely in 1855... 

the cholera epidemic began... 

which forced the people of Hrushiv to remember the desecrated holy place, which they no longer protected. Therefore, in order to avoid further God's punishment, the peasants bought a chapel in the neighboring Dorozhiv, where a new church was planned to be built.

Then, after cutting down an old willow, they cleaned the well in its hollow and covered it with boards from the inside. And from the purchased chapel tree, a small church was built around the well. The rescued icon of the Mother of God was hung on the wall.

Thus, the cholera passed.

The chapel was dedicated in 1856 to the Holy Trinity...

as some people saw three bright candles above the well... 

during the construction of the church

Others saw the Virgin Mary in ancient Jewish clothing...

and still others heard bells in this place.

-

The chapel  was held... 

until the Soviet authorities closed the church... 

in 1959.

[bron]