Underground tunnels and a catacomb temple found in Ternopil

The presence of two underground tunnels and catacomb church in Ternopil was confirmed by the geological survey on February 27. It was reported by TopNews, which cites the words of the head of NGO "City Project" Andriy Kir. An underground catacomb church of the monastery Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph is located below Lystopadna street.

 “In the early twentieth century in Ternopil, a French convent of the Sisters of St Joseph was located in place of the current regional prosecutor's office. I came across this data in the archive records. The nuns had taught French courtesy, humility to our ladies.

 The monastery was linked to the cathedral by the underground passage. Under the monastery, an underground catacomb church was located. It was quite small - some 3 m in height, 8 m long and 5 m wide.

In 1952, the Prosecutor's Office moved to the monastery premises. The entrance to the underground church was blocked, its walls were painted and the facilities adapted to the needs of uniform-clad owners. The sanctuary was reconstructed as a shooting range, where they taught how to shoot guns. Over the years the sounds of shots subsided as previously had subsided the church chants. Later the building was abandoned,” says the chief specialist of cultural heritage department of RSA Yaroslav Pelehatyy.

The project of "Underground Ternopil" was the subject of the meeting of archaeologists and representatives of local authorities on February 16. Then the experts reviewed the possible lines of passages of the tunnels underling the city and the existence of caves. “Unfortunately, Ternopil lost most of its monuments during the Second World War. But the real treasure of the historic city is located underground.” Underground Ternopil can become a real tourist gem. So our task is to do everything possible so that this jewel shone again the soonest. We invite activists and volunteers of the city to work together,” said deputy mayor of Ternopol Leonid Bytsyura.

In Ternopil, a group of experts is working, who have done virtually the first test of the new modern ground penetrating radar Leica DS2000.