The Saint Mary Magdalene Monastery sits high on the hill overlooking the Ros River in Bila Tserkva.. about 80 km southeast of Kiev, Ukraine.

The church was built in the 18th century. It was the only church built outside  the center of the city. During the Soviet regime, it was one of the few active churches in the city.

The Church of St. John the Baptist is located on Zamkovaya Hill and was buit in the early 1800’s by Count Branitsky in honor of his son. The church today is a well known place to attend chamber and organ music concerts.

It is possible that the church was built on the site of another church which had given Bila Tserkva – lterally “white church” – it’s name.

The Cathedral of the Transconfiguration is the main Orthodox church in the city. It was built to replace the dilapidated St. Nicholas Church, by Countess A. Branitsky.

Bila Tserka is easily reached from Kyiv by mini bus for about 30 uah ($3.00 USD). They leave from metro stop Palats Ukraine. While there is no set time table, you can plan on a bus leaving every 20 minutes or so. It takes about an 1 1/2 hours so it is perfect for a day trip.

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