Experience Ukraine Tours WWW.experienceukraine.com.ua
Duration: 3 days 1 night
COST: $100 USD Per person. Includes Bus fare from Kiev, tent and sleeping bags, and meals. Excludes Airfares to Kiev International Airport.
TOUR DATES FOR 2017:
1) June 5 (Church holiday – the Day of the Holy Trinity)
2) July 15-16 (International pilgrimage with complete remission of sins) The main annual pilgrimage event.
3) September 21 (Church holiday – Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
4) October 14 (Church holiday – Intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary)100
You can also book a tour any time you want.
Welcome to the Christian pilgrimage journey to the “Ukrainian Lourdes”. Zarvanytsya village lies in a picturesque forest near the caves and canyons in the Ternopil region. Feel the holy spirit by camping with thousands of fellow worshipers and experience the magical night time candle light singing. Swim in the blessed waters. People from all over Ukraine travel by foot, bus and car to this annual event. You will have access to an English speaking guide at all times and ask as many questions as you want!
This holy place is well known not only in Ukraine but also far beyond its borders. Mary’s (that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin) spiritual center in Zarvanytsya is one of the most important Catholic shrines in the world and the largest sanctuary of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Among all the holy places in Ukraine Zarvanytsya gathers most pilgrims every year, sometimes this number reaches 2 million pilgrims! It is primarily famous for its miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which is one of the oldest icons of Ukraine. Its history goes back to the 13 century – the sad time of Mongol-Tatar raids.
The legend says that after the destruction of Kyiv by Mongol-Tatars in 1240-1241 one monk was lucky to escape from captivity. He spent a lot of days and nights traveling to west. Exhausted from long trip, covered with bloody wounds, barely alive, he fell to the ground and fast asleep. At night he dreamed a miracle: Mother of God surrounded by angels came down to him. He fell on his knees to Her, putting his hands up. She smiling gave him her omophor and lifted him to his feet. He woke up and saw a bright beautiful morning in green forest near the river, heard the chirping of birds. That was an incredible place after severe hardships in Tatar’s captivity. And suddenly in the meadow above the mineral water spring the monk saw the Icon of Mother of God with Jesus-baby in Her arms, exactly the one that appeared to him in a dream. Washed his wounds with water from this source he surprisingly noticed that they were healed. Thankfully bowing to God for his miraculous recovery, and realizing his mission, monk decided to stay in this wonderful place and later he built a chapel near the source and placed miraculous icon there. Later the monastery was built near this chapel, and a village appeared around it, which a monk named as Zarvanytsya.
It would seem that these are only words, but from that time until today, there are many testimonies of various people who have been healed from incurable diseases of the heart, nervous system, cancer. Blind people are beginning to see, and paralyzed ones can walk… After worship the sanctuary, people can solve the super difficult problems in their lives.
In 1867 the icon of the Virgin Mother of God in Zarvanytsya was crowned. A little later, with the blessing of Pope Pius IX, Zarvanytsya acquired the status of pilgrimage center (with complete remission of sins).
Another old Ukrainian Christian relic is stored in the church of the Holy Trinity in Zarvanytsya. That is the miraculous icon of the Crucified Jesus-Savior. This icon in bright celestial radiance appeared to a pious farmer just in the field in 1740. This Miracle icon was crowned by Athanasius Sheptytsky Metropolitan.
An ancient source with miraculous water now is specially designed for pilgrims asking God for healing and strengthening physically and spiritually. It is named by St. Ann. Here the dozens of people witnessed the miracle appearance of Mother of God with Jesus-baby in Her arms. That happened for several times.
Here are some testimonies of people who have received the gift of healing from God:
1) According to one legend, Vasylko Romanovych, the Prince of Terebovlya who was the brother of the Galician king Danylo, was healed in Zarvanytsya. Seriously ill, he was lying almost at death, when servants reported him about Zarvanytsia miraculous icon and water. The Prince immediately ordered to deliver them, but the envoys returned empty-handed with a firm response of monk that if the prince wants to recover, he must come to God by himself. Vasylko was brought to the icon on the stretcher, and he went out on his own feet. Thankful prince built a wooden church in the forest which unfortunately was later destroyed by Mongol-Tatars.
2) In the mid-80s one woman who lived in this area got seriously ill on her feet – open sores deprived her of the ability to walk. After a long treatment without any result she realized that medicine was not able to help her. And being deeply religious the woman asked her family to bring her to Zarvanytsia forest. She took only two blankets, a rain-coat, the Holy Rosary and a bag of crackers with her. As in that time this miraculous place was in a brutal disgrace by USSR atheistic government, she was hiding in the forest thicket during the day, earnestly praying to the Virgin God Mother, and only at night time she could crawl to the source to drink water and wet bandages on her wounds. Exactly in one week sick feet of the woman were fully healed.
3) “I have witnessed that one man comes here every day. Doctors diagnosed a blood infection, and he could live only for two months. Now, since he is visiting St. Ann’s waters for almost two years, he is still alive and even feels great. Also, people come here with neurological diseases. One woman which couldn’t talk, after washing herself in the source with miraculous water, began to talk. Then she wanted to record the miracle”- says brother (monk) Andrew, a witness of healing in Zarvanytsya.
Learn much more during the tour with us!
Experience the miracles, swim in the holy waters, sing at night with fellow worshipers!
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Also during this trip you have the opportunity to see valuable historical and architectural monuments of Buchach town, which is known in Europe as the town-museum
Experience Ukraine Tours - My journey to Ukraine 