The Assumption Cathedral is the oldest monument in Volyn region from pre-Mongol times. It
was built in the mid-12 th century by Prince Mstyslav Izyaslavych, the great-grandson of
Volodymyr Monomakh. That is why the locals have long called it the Church of Mstyslav.
The sublime and magnificent Assumption Cathedral can be seen from different parts of the city,
cause its height reaches 18.5 meters. You can get in through the main entrance from the north
side. The path to the cathedral runs through a large two-tiered baroque gate.
Entering the cathedral, you seem to be moved back in time. In ancient times, the walls of the
cathedral were covered with frescoes – paintings made with mineral paint on the walls and wet
plaster. The cathedral still has high-quality acoustics due to clay jugs (resonators) that are
embedded in the walls and vault of the church.
For many centuries, the cathedral was the “father’s” church, that is, the burial vault of Halych-
Volynian princes. Prince Mstyslav Izyaslavych, founder of the church, and princes Vasylko
Romanovych and Volodymyr Vasylkovych, brother and nephew of King Danylo Halytskyi,
found eternal rest in its crypt. The representatives of the nobility and clergy of Volyn region are
also buried in the cathedral.
In ancient times, the Assumption Cathedral was not only the main shrine of Volyn region, but
also a center of culture and education. A parish school and an art workshop were located within
the church. The interstate agreements were concluded here, and the rulers swore on the Gospel as
a sign of compliance with them. The princes were crowned and married in the cathedral. Most
likely, the Volyn part of the Chronicle of Halych-Volhynia was written here.
The cathedral preserves not only the memory of the princes, but also many ancient monuments.
Among them is an ancient monument of sacred painting – cross with Crucifixion of the
14 th  century, which you can see on the right side near the altar part of the church. Local legend
says that it was from this cross that the spark descended on the future saint of the Greek Catholic
Church Josaphat Kuntsevych. The parishioners of the cathedral are convinced that a special
spiritual atmosphere is felt near it.
The cathedral proudly rises above the green walls of the defensive ramparts of the ancient
settlement, and together with the bishop’s house and bell tower, it forms a kind of complex of the
so-called “castle” – a fortified residence of Volyn bishops surrounded by a stone fence.