ON THE QUESTION OF EXISTENCE AND APPEARANCE AN ANCIENT RUS` CHURCH OF ASCENSION IN PEREMYSHL (PRZEMIŚL)

Abstract

Architectural and urban organization of Przemyśl in the era of Kievan Rus' remains a little-studied topic. Significant changes that city has undergone throughout history have almost completely leveled the spatial structure of the first centuries of its history, when it was the capital, and later, the second most important city in Halician Rus'. One of the few covered topics are the identification and localization of religious buildings of the X-XIV centuries. Sometimes, data about them is obtained from small crumbs of information preserved in medieval sources, as well as in archaeological materials.
 The articles summarize the sources and archaeological materials about probable existence of ancient Rus` Ascension church on so-called "Tatar Hill" in Przemyśl. On their basis it provides arguments on this hypotheses. Such arguments are: onomastic (historical dominance of the name of the Ascension and its derivatives in the area), necropolic (presence of traces of the churchyard), ritualistic (ancient tradition of religious processions that ended here), conversionalistic (existence here in the XVI - XVII centuries roman-catholic chapel of St. Leonard may be associated with the practice of transformation of Latin temples from old Rus` ones). Additionally, it is supported by the practice of building rocky-wooden objects in Нalician Rus', a number of which were discovered in the second half of the twentieth century.
 Due to the exceptional location of the hill in terms of survey of the area and archaeological material, it was suggested a military nature of its use. However, in all the archaeological research conducted here since the nineteenth (and possibly eighteenth centuries), no object of military purpose has been found. This is a stark contrast, for example, to the archeological material found on Stare Zamchysko Hill (or the hill of the Three Crosses), one kilometer to the north-west.
 Probable structure of the Ascension Hill in ancient Rus` times can be outlined as such. The church could be part of a small monastery complex and was located on the highest rock from the west. The rock was partially covered with earth to eliminate cracks and level the surface. Further to the east there was a reduction, on which, on the loose soil, there were living quarters. The complex could protect the fence, both at the top and around the hill.