Wooden Church Research Articles

Painting materials investigation from dragu wooden church, Salaj county

Painting materials investigation from dragu wooden church, Salaj county

Українські та єврейські пам’ятки в замальовках Миколи Валукинського 1920–1921 років: до 135-ліття від дня народження

The article’s purpose is to introduce into science a set of sketches of Ukrainian and Jewish cultural heritages’ monuments, accumulated in Danylo Shcherbakivskyi’s personal fund at the scientific archives of the NAS of Ukraine’s Institute of Archeology, as well as to clarify the circumstances of creation of the sketches, to systematize them by their chronology and topography, and to identify a number of objects of church architecture. Based on both the already published information and the epistolary sources found in Kyiv archives, it is established that Mykola Valukynskyi (1886–1950) made the sketches in 1920–1921 in southern Ukraine, Kyivshchyna, Eastern Podillia, and Slobozhanshchyna during his service in the Red Army railway brigades and shortly after his demobilization. It is found out that the artist drew some wooden churches, namely the Church of the Holy Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Beryslav, the Intercession of the Theotokos Church in Fastiv, the Church of Saint Demetrius in the village of Potoky, the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross in the village of Sidava, the Church of the Great Martyr Barbara in Olviopol (now Pervomaysk), as well as a sketch of a bell tower at the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the village of Leliaky. Thanks to Danylo Shcherbakivsky’s drawings in a diary of the 1908 expedition to the Podillian Governorate, it is determined, which precisely log cabins of churches (altar, central, or narthex) in Fastiv, Sidava, and Potoky crowned the above-dome crosses painted on both sides of the churches. An emphasis is placed on the value of drawings of Jewish culture’s objects, first of all of typical town buildings (Zhmerynka, Brayiliv), synagogue architecture (Koziatyn), and sheer tombstones (Brayiliv). The achieved results made it possible to outline the range of Mykola Valukynskyi’s interests in a more prominent way and to involve in the scientific context the significant visual sources of folk and sacred arts, which are important both in historical-theoretical, purely scientific, and practical (for example, for designing new churches, chapels, bell towers, or above-dome crosses) planes.

Christianity and War in Medieval East Central Europe and Scandinavia

<i>Christianity and War in Medieval East Central Europe and Scandinavia</i>

Microbiological, Health and Comfort Aspects of Indoor Air Quality in a Romanian Historical Wooden Church.

Monitoring the indoor microclimate in old buildings of cultural heritage and significance is a practice of great importance because of the importance of their identity for local communities and national consciousness. Most aged heritage buildings, especially those made of wood, develop an indoor microclimate conducive to the development of microorganisms. This study aims to analyze one wooden church dating back to the 1710s in Romania from the microclimatic perspective, i.e., temperature and relative humidity and the fungal load of the air and surfaces. One further aim was to determine if the internal microclimate of the monument is favorable for the health of parishioners and visitors, as well as for the integrity of the church itself. The research methodology involved monitoring of the microclimate for a period of nine weeks (November 2020–January 2021) and evaluating the fungal load in indoor air as well as on the surfaces. The results show a very high contamination of air and surfaces (>2000 CFU/m3). In terms of fungal contamination, Aspergillus spp. (two different species), Alternaria spp., Cladosporium spp., Mucor spp., Penicillium spp. (two different species) and Trichopyton spp. were the genera of fungi identified in the indoor wooden church air and Aspergillus spp., Cladosporium spp., Penicillium spp. (two different species) and Botrytis spp. on the surfaces (church walls and iconostasis). The results obtained reveal that the internal microclimate not only imposes a potential risk factor for the parishioners and visitors, but also for the preservation of the wooden church as a historical monument, which is facing a crisis of biodeterioration of its artwork.

Analysis of the Operation of an Unheated Wooden Church to the Shaping of Thermal and Humidity Conditions Using the Numerical Method

The article deals with the problem of the effects of using a wooden church on thermal and humidity conditions forming inside. Religious services in the studied site were provided several times a year. The building was not used in the remaining time. The analysis of the effects of the frequency of religious services and the number of people at the services on the formation of temperature and humidity conditions in the wooden church is provided in this paper. The effect of the presence of people in the church on CO2 concentration fluctuations was also studied. Analysis of the results showed that external conditions have the greatest effect on internal microclimate substitutions. The presence of people affects temporary fluctuations in internal parameters. Both the number of people attending the service and the time of year are important. An indoor air temperature amplitude of 9.4 °C was recorded during the winter period. The CO2 level in the church during the service exceeded the limit value of 1000 ppm, reaching 1800 ppm in the extreme case, which could result in decreased comfort for people. The high CO2 concentration may have been caused by a lack of effective ventilation in the building. The obtained simulation results showed a high agreement of the theoretical data with the measurement results (correlation 0.91). The analysis of three simulation variants showed that the people attending the services have a significant share in the gains of thermal energy inside the church. In order to meet the assumptions for variant 1, there are no requirements to start the heating system, assuming a similar schedule of services.

Castles of the Mind in Old Norse Culture: Archeological and Literary Evidence of St. Clement’s Church in Niðaróss

ABSTRACT This article juxtaposes the recently excavated archeological remains of St. Clement’s church in medieval Niðaróss (five wooden churches on top of each other with a material connection to a sixth older church) to the way the church is described in Snorri Sturluson’s Heimskringla, the long saga about Óláfr Tryggvason, and the Icelandic Laxdæla saga. The main aim of this article is to investigate whether the material continuity of the site, as attested by the archeology, is directly reflected in the literary sources, or whether cultural continuity is emphasised in a different way in the literary sources. The material and textual evidence will be interpreted to reveal new insights about the nature of and dynamics between natural/material and cultural/ideological continuity in medieval Christendom. The discussion also has further implications concerning interdisciplinary methods in medieval studies and environmental history.

Unveiling the original layers and color palette of 18th century overpainted Transylvanian icons by combined X‐ray radiography, hyperspectral imaging, and spectroscopic spot analysis

This paper presents the results of an in‐depth diagnostic investigation carried out on four Transylvanian icons originally painted at the beginning of the 18th century and entirely repainted later, in 1911. The icons, originating from a wooden church in Alba County (Romania), were investigated by an array of non‐invasive and micro‐invasive techniques that included: multi‐ and hyperspectral imaging, digital radiography, X‐ray fluorescence, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Combined imaging techniques allowed extraction of information from the original pictorial layer and highlighted the original inscriptions. Spectroscopic analysis carried on micro‐samples identified many traditional pigments used in Byzantine iconography such as: lead white, red lead, orpiment, red ochre, yellow ochre, and umber. The presence of zinc white, Prussian blue, and some chromium‐based pigments in the upper paint layers was directly associated with the repainting. Information on the used painting technique was also obtained, as well as a series of informative technical details that shed light on the complex history of the icons, while offering at the same time new knowledge on the materials and painting techniques used in Transylvanian workshops, between the 18th and 20th century. Overall results allowed characterization and discrimination of the original painting materials and those present in the repainting, and helped conservators with the restoration of the objects.

On the Origin of the Zaraysk Gospel

The article considers theoretical development of the problem of the origin and provenance in the 15th — the first quarter of the 19th century of the famous Old Russian book monument — the Zaraysk Gospel. Although it has repeatedly attracted the attention of archaeographers, textologists, paleographers, linguists and art historians, this article is the first experience of studying these issues. Created in 1401 in Moscow, the Gospel, which is parchment manuscript, was purchased in 1825 by K.F. Kalaidovich for Count N.P. Rumyantsev from the Zaraysk merchant K.I. Averin, that determined its name by the place of discovery. The scribe book of Zaraysk in 1625 in the altar of the Pyatnitsky chapel of the St. Nikolas wooden church (“which’s on the square”) in the city’s Posad, recorded the description of the manuscript Gospel, corresponding by a number of features to the Zaraysk Gospel. The connection of the codex with the St. Nicholas church is indirectly confirmed by the drawing of the church placed on one of its pages (f. 156 ver.) with the remains of inscription mentioning St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This allows concluding that the manuscript in the 17th century was in the book collection of the temple. In the 17th century, the ancient St. Nicholas church was re-consecrated to the Epiphany, and the sacristy was moved to the stone St. Nicholas cathedral in Zaraysk. It is most likely that in the first quarter of the 19th century, the merchant K.I. Averin purchased the Gospel from the members of the cathedral’s clergy. The article analyzes the context of the early contributions of the 15th century “to the Miraculous Icon of St. Nikolas of Zaraysk”, one of which, most likely, was the parchment Zaraysk Gospel. The authors assume that this contribution is related to the chronicle events of 1401 or 1408. The study is significant in terms of the theoretical development of methods for identifying ancient manuscripts and their origin.

Multi-Level Characterization of Microbial Consortia Involved in the Biodeterioration of Wooden and Stone Romanian Heritage Churches

The 17th to 19th century wooden and stone churches are an iconic symbol of Romanian national heritage. The present study investigates by qualitative and quantitative methods the microbial communities from the biodeteriorated surfaces of wooden and stone monument churches included in the cultural heritage list of local or national importance. From a total of twelve monuments, samples were taken with cotton sterile swabs, inoculated on specific culture and identified by classical, automated and molecular methods. A total of 133 strains belonging to Ascomycota phylum were identified and confirmed at species level from the wooden churches, amongst which, Penicillium spp. strains (mostly P. corylophylum, P. chrysogenum) were the most frequent, followed by Alternaria alternata and species of Trichoderma, Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Mucor, and Fusarium genera. From the stone churches a total of 100 strains belonging to Aspergillus, Alternaria, Mucor, Penicillium, Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Fusarium and Rhizopus genera were isolated. A total of 55 bacterial strains were isolated and identified as Bacillus, Artrobacter and Pseudomonas species. The microbial load of the samples ranged between 2.18x107 and 3x105 CFU/mL. A very small number of fungal strains (6/77) isolated from wooden churches (mostly A. alternata, followed by P. corylophilum and one Cladosporium spp. strain) and from stone churches (5/55) (mostly A. alternata, followed by A. versicolor, A. nidulans strain) were involved in biofilm formation. The results of this study can help to improve understanding of the microbial deterioration of Romanian heritage churches and allow more reliable decontamination, conservation and preservation tools to be defined.

Traditional Architecture in Romanian Philately (IV): the Households from Ieud, Jurilovca, Mastacăn, Moișeni and Năruja

The cultural heritage is not only represented by the historical architectural monuments, but also by the architecture of wooden churches or traditional houses. It must be seen as a valuable heritage that, through proper management, can become a source of community well-being. It is important to preserve traditional architecture. To be able to build or restore adapted to modern needs, and respect the local architectural specifics. In this context, the study tries to emphasize once again the beauty of traditional Romanian architecture. This time in terms of philately. We want to expose the architectural specifics from five areas – Ieud (Maramureș county), Jurilovca (Tulcea), Mastacăn (Neamț), Moișeni (Satu Mare) and Năruja (Vrancea). Using illustrated postcards, and other philatelic effects, scenes from the outside and inside of the households in question are presented. The results of the research itself, not numerous, can be reorganized in the form of thematic exhibitions. Such events can contribute to increasing the attractiveness of the area among tourists.

Garrison Gothic: Timber Con(I)fers the Anglo-Canadian Subject

Gothic Revival architecture projected a sense of unity throughout the British Empire, even though the materials used to construct such architecture varied by available resources, geographic location and climatic conditions. In Canada, this led to the proliferation of wooden churches during the mid-nineteenth century, including William Hay’s Anglican “Garrison Church” for Toronto. The resulting forms allowed Anglo-Canadians to participate in a global discourse of Britishness while laying claim to local materials. However, the contested legality of local lands disrupts timber’s ability to ingrain Anglo-Canadian identity. Instead, I speculate that the transformation of local forest growth into timber-constructed designs is haunted by an uncanny act of appropriation, and I use the “garrison mentality” of a Canadian gothic novel to discuss the unstable boundaries between the demonised Indigenous peoples of Canada’s mostly coniferous forests and the would-be civility of Anglo-Canadians sheltered behind the wooden walls of Hay’s Garrison Church.

The Use of Virtual Reality to Promote Sustainable Tourism: A Case Study of Wooden Churches Historical Monuments from Romania

The accelerated development and expansion of cultural tourism in areas with unique tourist objectives, characterised by a high degree of risk in terms of their physical and chemical integrity, requires sustained efforts by all stakeholders to identify new methods, techniques, and procedures for their conservation, protection, and capitalisation, with respect to tourism. The aim of this study was to propose an optimal methodology for capitalising on tourism related to wooden churches, regarded as a structural item of tangible cultural heritage, with positive effects on the protection, conservation, information, and awareness of all stakeholders in tourism development. This involved the development of a web portal, in which were integrated the 3D models related to the analysed objects, the panoramic images inside them, the audio support, the photographs, and the accompanying text necessary to create and render a virtual reality (VR) production for purposes of virtual tourism (VT). The results obtained consisted of the creation of the website Bihor360°, which is freely navigable and whose content, including both textual and graphic information, can be easily accessed by all interested users. The aim involved was to release an online bridge for potential visitors to the fragile tourist attractions, facilitating the development of active knowledge and VR while raising awareness among the population and the local authorities about the role and the importance of the wooden churches in tourism and the local economy.

Component Materials, 3D Digital Restoration, and Documentation of the Imperial Gates from the Wooden Church of Voivodeni, Sălaj County, Romania

The wooden churches from Transylvania, Romania, are a unique and representative cultural heritage asset for rural communities, both in terms of architecture and the style of painting that defines them as monuments of national heritage. These churches are in danger of degradation because rural communities are beginning to abandon them for various motives (e.g., they are too small, are expensive to maintain, or are being replaced by modern churches, built of stone and modern materials). The reason behind their accelerated degradation is that they are covered with shingles that need to be periodically changed and repaired to prevent water from reaching the inner painting layer, a process that is, in many cases, ignored. Imperial gates are the symbol of these churches and separate the nave from the narthex. They are made entirely out of wood and were sculpted and painted manually by skilled craftsmen and still represent the central element of these churches, in terms of art and aesthetics. The digital preservation of these heritage assets is an interdisciplinary undertaking, which begins with the physico-chemical analysis of the pigments in the painting layer, continues with three-dimensional (3D) digitization of the monument and of the objects of interest (such as the imperial gates), and finishes with a digital restoration of these monuments and artefacts. This paper presents a working methodology, successfully applied in digitizing and digitally restoring imperial gates from wooden churches in Transylvania, namely from the wooden church of Voivodeni, Sălaj County, Romania (Transylvania region). X-ray fluorescence and FTIR spectroscopy were used to determine the pigments in the painting layer of these artefacts, and after they were identified, they were synthesized in laboratory conditions. The resulting color was digitized and used for digitally restoring the artefact(s) to its (their) pristine condition. To popularize these cultural heritage assets, the authors make use of virtual reality to mediate the interaction between the general public and heritage objects in their current state of preservation, in a digital environment. Moreover, to showcase how these heritage objects were degraded over time, a digitally restored version of the artefact in pristine condition is presented alongside a version in its current state (as is, digitized, but not yet digitally restored).

Seismic Response of Three-Lobed Shape

Abstract The paper deals with the three-lobed churches, the most representative creations of the ecclesiastic and monumental architecture preserved in the Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic area. Beginning with the fourteenth century, in Moldavia and Wallachia, the old wooden churches, often threatened by the fire, were replaced with stone or brick masonry ones. Unfortunately, strong and enduring earthquakes occur in this area. The stone and brick masonry, with clay or lime mortars, used for three-lobed churches, including their foundations and steeples, were often severely damaged by earthquakes. According to a legend, in the case of the Church of Arges Monastery, usually the damages occurred during the nights. To save the church, by the virtue of an old myth, the Manole Master has immolated his wife into one of the pronaos walls. By that occasion, the whole pronaos was enlarged and the church was no longer damaged. The later research has shown that by reshaping the pronaos, the relative positions of the weight center and the stiffness center have been reversed. Since then, that beautiful church, during its long service of 503 years, was never damaged again by earthquakes. The same happy fate has been experienced by the subsequent three-lobed churches which adopted the same enlarged pronaos.

FEATURES OF LOCALIZATION OF THE WOODEN ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN GALICIA IN URBAN PLANNING UNITS

The article presents the results of a study on the peculiarities of the localization of wooden Roman-Catholic churches in Galicia in urban units. It is established that the architecture of wooden Roman Catholic churches in Galicia in the second half of the XVII-th – first half of the XX-th centuries depended on a number of urban factors formed under the influence of geographical zoning, political circumstances, stylistic preferences and more. There are five main types of structural organization of the settlement or its part, in which the sacred object is localized: central, linear, axial, radial, combined. It is established that the planning and three-dimensional composition of the temple complex was influenced, first of all, by the location in the settlement system, in particular, five typical schemes were revealed: 1) at the market area; 2) at the main street; 3) in the central part of the settlement on a visible elevated place; 4) in the peripheral part, near the yards of the owners of settlements; 5) on the outskirts of the settlement – in the cemetery. The first two schemes are typical to small towns. It has been confirmed that one of the main features by which it is also possible to differentiate the studied objects is orientation. It has been confirmed that the dominant role of the temple was often provided by a tower in order to establish the Latin rite in rural areas. It has been found that, unlike Polish temples, which are more often the accents in the surrounding buildings, for German towers or turrets – a mandatory element. There is a difference in the national affiliation of the church in the way of landscaping, in particular – near Polish churches planted conifers, while near the temples of German colonists – deciduous species (oaks, lindens, ashes), which was due to their traditional symbolic meaning.

VOLUME STRUCTURE OF UKRAINIAN WOODEN CHURCH’S LOG-TOWERS: WORLD ANALOGIES AND AUTHENTIC

The article conducts a comparative study between volume-structures of world’s wooden religious buildings’ roofing and different types of Ukrainian wooden church’s log-towers’ volume-structures. As the examples for this comparative study are analyzed the volume structures of Eastern and Western territories of the world including vertically developed roofing of beam-pillar, rafter and log-timber construction as well. The main topics of the investigation are different structures of pagodas and Buddhist temples, vertically developed rafter roofing of Scandinavian and Eastern European Christian churches as well as numerous vertical log-structures of Eastern European and Caucasus churches. All named above examples are consequently compared with determined five basic types of Ukrainian wooden church’s log-towers volume structures (as lateral trapeze or cylindrical elevated roofing, pyramidal roofing, so-called “zalom” tiered roofing, octagon-on-square roofing and “zalom” and octagon-on-square composite roofing). As a result, none of the considered world examples shows complete analogies to the whole spectrum of volume structures of Ukrainian wooden churches’ roofing. In particular, log-towers with so-called “zalom” type tiered volume structure are unique. Analogies to the most archaic volume and constructive types of log roofing of the Ukrainian wooden church (lateral trapeze or cylindrical elevated roofing, pyramidal and octagon-on-square roofing) are present in the wooden sacral architecture of neighboring territories: Carpathian region, Transcaucasian region and Russia. This conclusion proves the long-standing entire history of sacral wooden architecture formation of this region from one hand and independence of further development of the phenomenon of the Ukrainian wooden church from the other.

РОДИННИЙ НЕКРОПОЛЬ БОРОХОВИЧІВ У МІСТЕЧКУ ЛЮТЕНЬКА ГАДЯЦЬКОГО ПОЛКУ

У статті аналізуються матеріали археологічних досліджень цвинтаря XVII-XVIII ст. та залишків Свято-Успенської церкви в с. Лютенька (Полтавщина).&#x0D; Лютенька була заснована як слобода у 30-х рр. XVII ст.. До 1646 р. була у власності Конєцпольських. У 1648-1782 рр. Лютенька функціонувла, як сотенне містечко у складі Гадяцького, Полтавського, Зіньківського полків. Найтісніше її історія пов’язана із родиною Бороховичів, зокрема із Михайлом Андрійовичем, який у 1672-1687 рр., із незначними перервами, був гадяцьким полковим обозним, а 1687 – 1704 р. – полковником. У статті розглянута родина Михайла та його другої дружини Олени Іванівни. Взаємовідносини останньої та дітей Максима, Федора, Івана, Феодосії і Марії, після смерті батька.&#x0D; Більшість членів родини знайшли свій спочинок на цвинтарі спеціально збудованої у 1687 р., як родинна усипальниця, Успенської церкви. Звели її в центрі лютенської фортеці на місці старої дерев’яної церкви першої чверті XVII ст. Новозведена церква була мурованою, дев'ятидільною, хрещатою, п'ятибанною. Проіснувала вона до 1985 р. Навколо неї у 2009-2010 рр. досліджена ділянка ґрунтового цвинтаря XVII-XVIII ст., всього близько 300 поховань. Вони розміщені у широтному напрямку, із тяжінням до стін храму, часто на місці раніше існуючих могил.&#x0D; Впродовж кінця XVII – першої чверті XVIII ст. Бороховичи здійснювали поховання членів своєї родини в підземному просторі центральної частини та обабіч церкви у склепових похованнях. Археологічно вивчено 13 склепів, унікального стану збереженості, які є у фокусі цієї розвідки. Знайдені та атрибутовані поховання самого Михайла Бороховича, його дружини Олени та, вірогідно синів. Поданий детальний опис конструкцій склепів, поховального вбрання, розміщення, супровідних обрядових речей: ікон, хрестів тощо. Матеріали кінця XVII-XVIII ст., розширюють наші уявлення та знання про різні аспекти здійснення поховань, поховальну обрядовість козацької старшини та, назагал, сприяють уточненню уявлень про смерть в часи Гетьманщини.

Medieval Norwegian Wooden (Stave) Churches: Built Heritage and Places of Memory

This paper focuses on the Norwegian medieval religious buildings called stave churches. The word stave (meaning ‘post, pole’ in Norwegian) derives from the buildings’ post and lintel construction, giving the churches their characteristic style. The structures display a highly developed tradition of wooden Christian buildings, which during the Middle Ages (1050–1500) where the most common in Norway, their number can be estimated at around a thousand. There were probably at least as widespread in other areas (e.g. on the territory of present-day Germany and Russia), but they did not remain in such a large number from the early period. However, the number have declined dramatically, and today only 28 are preserved. The article aims to expand the knowledge of the unique and irreplaceable wooden architecture of the stave churches. Although we consider the wooden churches to be one of the characteristics of Scandinavia traditionally, they mix and carry the influences of other cultures and countries. The heritage and memorial role of wooden churches, as well as the motif of the combination of different architectural and religious elements, represent an interesting comparison to similar phenomena in the Carpathian Basin. Transylvania and especially the Maramureş region are also famous for their wooden churches and the rich carved and painted iconostasis.

Wooden Church Architecture of the Russian North in the Russian Art History of the Early 21st Century

The article represents a historiographical review of publications on the wooden architecture of the Russian North, published in 2000–2010s. In these years the main perspectives of the research of the wooden church architecture of the Russian North can be distinguished as follows: the regional studies in the framework of large-scale scientific projects; studying the construction history and analysing the architectural features of specific objects, including in connection with their restoration; “rehabilitation” of the late period (19th–20th centuries) in the history of church wooden church building, which is a fundamentally new approach to this segment of the architectural heritage of the North; attracting a wide range of archival sources and gradually moving away from the speculative nature of unsubstantiated theoretical conclusions. An analytical review of publications on wooden church architecture published over the past twenty years is important not only for summing up intermediate results, but also for indicating further prospects for creating a complete panorama of wooden church building in the Russian North, which still remains unconnected and fragmentary, that is, forming from the history of individual monuments in different regions. The interaction of researchers of Russian wooden architecture with each other in the framework of long-term scientific projects is the key to successful joint work on the identification and introduction into scientific circulation of archival documents of the early period (16th–18th centuries) and conducting field surveys of preserved objects. The subsequent integration of the obtained data on chronological, quantitative and typological indicators will allow us to obtain a new objective picture of the historical development and artistic diversity of the monuments of wooden architecture of the Russian North.

Building of the XVII century from the Volyntsevo settlement in the middle Sejm riverside

The article is devoted to the results of archaeological excavations of the Volyntsevo hillfort in 1981. The beginning of the study of this archaeological monument began at the beginning of the 20th century by the local landowner A. Shechkov. Part of the archaeological collection was transferred to the Kursk Museum. In 1948, research on the site was carried out under the leadership of V. Dovzhenko. In the northwestern part of the rampart, a rampart was cut. In 1981, O. Sukhobokov continued excavations of the hillfort. Their goal was to clarify the design features of the floor shaft. For this, two excavations were laid – the first in the center, the second in the northeastern part of the rampart. As a result of the research, part of the rock outgrowth was discovered, consisting of untreated cobblestones of local quartzite. It was located near the shaft, but it was not structurally connected with it. The stratigraphy of the rampart in excavation II indicates that the stone pavement is later than the remains of the rampart’s wooden structure. This construction is an independent archaeological site and, most likely, dates back to the period after the middle of the 13th century. Near the pavement, at a depth of 1.2 – 1.5 m, ground burials were found, made according to the Christian burial rite. This object may be the remains of the stone foundation of a significant structure that perished in a large fire. This is evidenced by a significant amount of ash, ash and burnt clay. It is known from documents that at the beginning of the 17th century, there was a noble estate near the hillfort, which belonged to Andrei Trifonov from the city of Putivl. The main type of planning of the noble small-manor estate was the manor’s yard with outbuildings and peasant houses. A wooden church was located nearby on a hill. The documents of the middle of the 17th century contain information that the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was located on the territory of the Volyntsevo village, built before 1639 and burned down in 1663. Thus, it can be assumed that the remains of the stone foundation of a wooden church from the early 17th century. It burned down during the fire and was no longer recovered.