UKRDOUG Castle Tours - Sutkivtsi Church-Fortress Traditional Cache
UKRDOUG Castle Tours - Sutkivtsi Church-Fortress
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The GC is hidden near the Eastern Tower of the Sutkivtsi Fortress. Begin your ascent up the hill from the given coordinates or make your own trail. The GC is not in or on the ruins of the tower. Please respect this architectural gem. And don't forget to visit the Church-Fortress of Pokrova.
Sutkivtsi Church-Fortress
The Church-Fortress of Pokrova (Protectress of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is the only one of its kind in Eastern and Central Europe. The nobleman F. Sutkovsky began its construction in 1476. It was attached to a fortified fortress, about an acre in size, of which only the Eastern Tower still exists. The walls of the church are 5 feet thick (1.5 m) and have 95 loopholes. The two towers were used as a fortress. Originally it was built in a Gothic style, but the modern look is based on reconstructions carried out in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The defensive structure did not spare the town from the Tatar attacks of 1567 and was badly damaged. O. Balaban married Varvara Sutkovska and reconstructed the castle in 1643. But by the end of the 17th Century the fortress lost its defensive significance and fell into ruin.
There are many legends of ghosts that appear on the hills surrounding the church. Many have sworn they have seen mysterious figures in white garments near the ruin of the Eastern Tower. Local people maintain that if you press your ear to the ground you may hear the ringing bells of a church long gone.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Frr fcbvyre cvpgherf
Treasures
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