Shepit (; ) is a village in

Vyzhnytsia Raion Vyzhnytsia Raion () is an administrative raion (district) in the southern part of Chernivtsi Oblast, located in the historical region of Bukovina, in western Ukraine, on the Romanian border. The region has an area of and centers on the city of Vy ...

Chernivtsi Oblast Chernivtsi Oblast (), also referred to as Chernivechchyna (), is an oblast (province) in western Ukraine, consisting of the northern parts of the historical regions of Bukovina and Bessarabia. It has an international border with Romania and Moldo ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. It belongs to Seliatyn rural hromada, one of the

hromada In Ukraine, a hromada () is the main type of municipality and the third level Administrative divisions of Ukraine, local self-government in Ukraine. The current hromadas were established by the Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine, Government of Uk ...

s of Ukraine. Population: 683. A geological reserve is found within the village limits, the Suchavskyi Huk waterfalls (,

Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...

's rapids, Suceava's roar). A checkpoint on the border with Romania (Shepit-

Izvoarele Sucevei Izvoarele Sucevei (, ''Izvory'') is a Commune in Romania, commune located in Suceava County, Bukovina, northeastern Romania. It is composed of three villages: namely Bobeica, Brodina (also called ''Brodina de Sus''), and Izvoarele Sucevei. The com ...

) is located not far from the village.

History

The town of Shepit, on the banks of the Suceava river, has been part of

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

in the

Principality of Moldova Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially independent and later autonom ...

since its establishment. The first documentary record of the village dates from a deed dated 15 March 1490. In January 1775, in recognition of its neutrality during Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, the

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

received part of the territory of Moldavia, known as Bukovina, from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

which occupied the region from 15 December 1769 to September 1774. After the annexation of Bukovina by the Habsburg Empire in 1775, the town of Schepit (Șipotele Sucevei, Shepit) was part of the

Duchy of Bukovina The Duchy of Bukovina (; ; ) was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire from 1849 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 1918. Name The name ''Bukovina'' came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation ...

, being part of the Seletin district (''Seletin'' in German). According to the Austrian 1900 census, there were 804 houses in the village of Schepit ( Radautz District, Duchy of Bukovina), with 3323 inhabitants: 2551 Ukrainians, 18 Romanians, 123 Germans, 391 Jews and 167 Poles. There was also a '' Vorwerk'' in nearby Isvor (

) : there were 18 houses, 65 inhabitants: 17 Ukrainians, 2 Romanians, 29 Germans, 7 Jews, 2 Poles). After the

Dissolution of Austria-Hungary The dissolution of Austria-Hungary was a major political event that occurred as a result of the growth of internal social contradictions and the separation of different parts of Austria-Hungary. The more immediate reasons for the collapse of the ...

and the

Union of Bukovina with Romania The union of Duchy of Bukovina, Bukovina with Kingdom of Romania, Romania was declared in 28 November 1918, being officially recognized by the international community in 1919 and 1920. Timeline of events 1918 *22 October - Constantin Isopescu-Grecu ...

on November 28, 1918, the village of Shepit was part of the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...

, in the

Plasă ''Plasă'' (, plural ''plăși'' ) was a territorial division unit of Romania, ranking below county ('' județ'') and above commune. It was headed by a '' Pretor'', appointed by the county Prefect. The institution headed by the Pretor was call ...

of Putila of

Rădăuți County Rădăuți County was one of the historic counties of Bukovina, Romania. The county seat was Rădăuți. History Following the Union of Bukovina with Romania decided by the General Congress of Bukovina on 15/28 November 1918, the Rădăuți County ...

. At that time, the majority of the population was made up of

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

, and there were communities of

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

and

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. In the interwar period, a telephone office operated there. Following the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...

(1939), Northern Bukovina (

) was annexed by the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

on June 28, 1940. The Soviet invasion of Bukovina in 1940 violated the pact, since it went beyond the Soviet sphere of influence that had been agreed with

the Axis PH Live is a mid-sized auditorium in the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The venue hosts events including charity benefits, concerts and award shows including beauty pageants such as Miss Universe, Miss USA a ...

. Northern Bukovina rejoined Romania in 1941–1944. During the Second World War, heavy fighting took place on the territory of the village for 13 days between the Romanian-German and Soviet armies. Until 1946, the village was called Shepit-Cameral (, in , ) when by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

, it was renamed Shepit (Shepot in Russian). Until 18 July 2020, Shepit belonged to Putyla Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Chernivtsi Oblast to three. The area of Putyla Raion was merged into Vyzhnytsia Raion.

The Church of St. Elijah

The wooden church of St. Elijah is a masterpiece of wooden architecture. It is located on a hill in the northern part of the village. Built in 1898 on the site of the old Church of the Assumption (1763), the Church of St. Elijah in Shepit and its bell tower, located south of it are merger of traditional Bukovinian single-domed architecture and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

, dominant in late 19th century.Церква у Шепіт на сайті «Дерев'яні храми України»
/ref> The church is an Architectural monument of national importance in Chernivtsi Oblast (№ 1763 1). It belongs to the

Orthodox Church of Ukraine The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (; OCU), also called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is an Eastern Orthodox Church in Ukraine. It was granted autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on . Some of the Eastern Orthodox Churche ...

Notable natives

Ciprian Porumbescu Ciprian Porumbescu (; born Cyprian Gołęmbiowski on 14 October 1853 – 6 June 1883) was a Romanian composer born in Șipotele Sucevei in Bucovina. He was among the most celebrated Romanian composers of his time; his popular works include ...

(1853–1883), Romanian composer

Gallery

Шепіт1.jpg, Old wooden house Шепіт3.jpg, Wooden Church of St. Elijah (1898) Shepit Illinska cerkva dzvin.jpg, St. Elijah's bell tower Шепіт7.jpg, Old wooden house Сучавський Гук в с. Шепіт 03.jpg, Suchavsʹkyy Huk waterfall

References

{{Authority control Villages in Vyzhnytsia Raion