The article examines the formation of defensive-sacral complexes in the small historical towns of Volyn, focusing on the example of Olyka and drawing on the works of Sviatoslav Terskyi, Bohdan Pryshchepa, Volodymyr Zhovtnianskyi and other regional scholars. The analysis covers the key stages in the development of the Olyka Castle and the Church of the Holy Trinity, their role within the urban structure, and their significance in shaping the Radziwiłł princely residence. Special attention is paid to Terskyi’s interpretations regarding Olyka as an important center of medieval urban development in Volyn, as well as to Zhovtnianskyi’s detailed documentation of the architectural and territorial transformations of the town.
A comparative approach incorporates the studies of B. Pryshchepa on the fortifications of Klevan and Dorohobuzh, allowing the defensive system of Olyka to be contextualized within broader regional patterns. The structural features, topographical conditions, and relationship between sacred buildings and defensive elements are examined to highlight the distinctive characteristics of each center. Based on historical sources and modern scholarship, the article identifies general trends in the evolution of Volyn’s defensive complexes and outlines the features that make Olyka one of the most representative defensive-sacral ensembles in the region.
Aleksandrovych, V. (comp.), 1755. Inventar Olytskoho zamku.
Danylyuk, O., 2017. Sim chudes Kivertsivshchyny. In: Mynule i suchasne Volyni ta Polissia. Kivertsivshchyna ta Olyka v istorii Ukrainy ta Volyni.
Khonchanskyi, V.A., 2014. Istorychna Olyka ta yii pamiatky.
Khonchanskyi, V.A., 2022. Pro povernennia Olyky statusu mista ta yii stanovlennia yak istoryko-kulturnoho obiekta.
Zaiats, A., 2003. Urbanizatsiinyi protses na Volyni v XVI — pershii polovyni XVII stolittia. Lviv: Dobra sprava.
Zaiats, A., 2019. Miske suspilstvo Volyni XVI – pershoi polovyny XVII st. Lviv, p. 61.
Kryvenko, A.M. and Kroshchenko, L.M., 2001. Iziaslav. Misto, ansambli, pamiatky. Visnyk Kyivskoho linhvistychnoho universytetu. Seriia Istoriia. Ekonomika. Filosofiia, 5.
Pryshchepa, B., 2009. Dorohoobuzh na Horyni v X–XIII vv. In: B. Stoliarchuk-Popenko (ed.), Drohobuzhu na Volyni – 925 (1084–2009): istorychni rozvidky. Rivne: O. Zen, pp. 94–100.
Pryshchepa, B.A., 2022. Zamok kniaziv Chortoryiskykh u Klevani: etapy stanovlennia, planuvannia ta zabudova.
Pryshchepa, B.A., 2023. Zamok kniaziv Chortoryiskykh u Klevani: etapy stanovlennia, planuvannia ta zabudova.
Stelletskyi, B., 1910. Zamok v Klevani. Voenno-istorycheskii vestnyk, 11, pp. 27–29.
Terskyi, S., 2001. Olyka. In: Litopysni mista Volyni.
Teodorovych, M.I., 1889. Istoryko-statystychnyi opys tserkov i prykhodiv Volynskoi yeparkhii.
Khokhon, M., 2018. Formuvannia oboronnykh sporud monastyriv Zakhidnoi Ukrainy u XVII–XVIII stolittiakh. PhD dissertation.
Iakymenko, M., 2018. Zdaietsia kazkoiu, a vtim Olyka isnuie realno. In: Mynule i suchasne Volyni ta Polissia. Kivertsivshchyna ta Olyka v istorii Ukrainy ta Volyni.
Vortman, D., 2010. Olyka. In: Entsyklopediia istorii Ukrainy, vol. 7, p. 585.