Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Roztoka is one of the oldest wooden churches in the Mizhhiria region and preserves evidence of both Boiko origins and later Baroque transformation. The monument probably originated in the mid-seventeenth century and was first dedicated to Saint Paraskeva the Great Martyr. It acquired its present Baroque appearance after a reconstruction in 1759, though visitation records suggest that an earlier rebuilding had already taken place before 1711. In the Soviet period the church was closed, yet it remained standing and was even repainted in 1971 by local vernacular masters. A new church was built nearby in the 1990s, and some movable objects from the old church were transferred there. The architectural ensemble includes a square log-and-frame bell tower with an encircling pent roof and an octagonal tent roof. The church itself belongs to the Zakarpattian school of vernacular sacred architecture and to the group of churches with Baroque towers and roofs set at different levels above the altar and central body. A south entrance with a trapezoidal painted doorjamb is a distinctive feature, preserving traces of polychromy and inscriptions connected with the church’s dedication. The tower is marked by a Baroque dome with flared eaves, a massive blind lantern, and a cupola crowned by a wrought-iron cross. Inside, the narthex and apse have flat beam ceilings, while the nave is covered by a structurally important near-barrel vault. Although the historic iconostasis was sold in 2001, the church still preserves significant elements of artistic decoration, especially the Royal Doors of the Tree of Jesse type and several dispersed icons that testify to the earlier richness of the interior.