A large-scale archaeological expedition is underway near the Nekhvoroshchansky Monastery, which stood on the lands of the former Orel palanka of the Zaporozhian Army. This is reported by the D1 TV channel with reference to the regional council.
What archaeologists have already found
The excavations involve scientists from the Dmytro Yavornytskyi Dnipropetrovsk National Historical Museum, teachers from the Faculty of History of Oles Honchar DNIU, and students from several universities.
The researchers are working with several cultural layers at once — from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages to the 17th–19th centuries.
Among the finds:
-
flint tools;
-
Cossack spur and shoe buckle;
-
broken dishes;
-
rare 18th-century coins, including four Livonian kopecks.
Archaeologists are also recreating the monastery's defensive structures: ramparts, moats, and gates. Ahead is the search for the foundations of two churches and utility rooms. All results will be transferred to the Institute of Archaeology of Ukraine.
History of the monastery
The Nekhvoroshcha Monastery was founded simultaneously with the town of Nekhvoroshcha, created by refugees from Podolia. It was subordinate to the Sich Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is why it was also called "Military" or "Zaorilsky".
In the 17th century, the monastery was destroyed by the Tatars, later it was restored by the Zaporozhian Cossacks. In the 18th century, the Assumption and Mykolaiv churches, cells, a hospital and a Cossack cemetery operated here, where the Kosh chieftain Pavlo Kozeletsky was buried.
The monastery was liquidated in 1799. The earthen ramparts and the cemetery with the last burials in 1942 have survived to this day.
