Dzherelo sviatoho Mykolaia (St. Nicholas Spring)

Place where water moving underground finds an opening to the land surface and emerges from the ground.

Rivne Oblast, Zdovbytsia Territorial Community (Hromada), Hilcha Persha Village.

50.42678, 26.28321

19,6 km

According to the legend, the St. Nicholas Spring appeared after the baptism of Kyivan (Kievan) Rus in 988. People who were baptised in Kyiv returned home and sat on a hill to rest. When they approached the spring to drink water, they saw a reflection of St. Nicholas image. Since then, the Spring has been named after St. Nicholas. Even Severyn (Semeriy) Nalyvaiko’s insurgents tasted this water. The Cossacks of Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s army, who were returning from Berestechko, quenched their thirst and washed their wounds with this water.

 These famous springs are located next to a small church. The local priests and laity take care of the “Holy Cave” and the springs.

 The water in the spring flows from the grotto, and one can follow the little stairs down to it. Visitors place lighted candles “for the health of the sick and travellers”, those who are far from home on the openwork metal lattice that separates the cavity in the mountain. Then the water flows down the gutter into a small pool in the shape of a human eye with a ladder. The reservoir, or water in it, is knee-deep.

 This miracle spring water is low in iron, however it maintains a sufficient fluoride, magnesium and manganese content, a high silver and low iron content. It remains fresh for several weeks, at the same time, it does not precipitate.

The St. Nicholas Spring water is especially useful for those who have problems with eyes, stomach or have just undergone surgery. Water very helpful for healing wounds, joints, skin diseases, it removes small stones (so-called “gravel” or “sand”) from kidneys and bladder, cleanses the pancreas.  It even helps with baldness if a person drinks water and washes his/her head with it.

According to the local priests, the vast majority of people, who healed here, had eye diseases. “That is why a pool where pilgrims dive into the holy water has been made in the shape of a human eye”, – says Father Valerii.

Following the recommendation of doctors, patients who have undergone gastric surgery drink this water. According to the Zdolbuniv District Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, the noted spring water has the best outcomes among all reservoirs in Rivne Oblast (region).
The St. Nicholas Spring is consecrated four times a year: on Epiphany, May 22, July 7, and December 19.