The Holy Cross Exaltation Monastery was founded in 1650 by monks from
Mhar Monastery. The construction of the initial, wooden complex was financed by Cossack commander
Martyn Pushkar, and Hetman
Ivan Samoylovych later funded the construction of the Holy Cross Exaltation Cathedral within the monastery. In 1693, during
the Ruin the monastery was burned down by soldiers of the
Crimean Khanate, and it later served as a base for Swedish forces during the
Battle of Poltava amidst the
Great Northern War.
Taras Shevchenko painted the monastery in 1845. Several foreign leaders have visited the monastery. King
Charles XII of Sweden visited the monastery during the Great Northern War, as did
Peter the Great. The former monarch even lived in the monastery for a short period of time, and later Romanov emperors also regularly attended services. Later, during World War II,
Adolf Hitler also visited the monastery on 3 December 1941. The monastery was later destroyed during the war, and only restored in 1999. The monastery is designed in a
Ukrainian Baroque style. It is included on the
State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine, and draws hundreds of visitors yearly. == References ==