Bolshaya Sventitsa. The Church of St. Paraskeva of Serbia.

In the village of Bolshaya Sventitsa stands a church dedicated to St. Paraskeva of Serbia. Its construction dates back to the first half of the 19th century. In 1815, landowners Mikhail Zhinev and Ignatiy Kolupailo built a stone church on the site of a wooden church destroyed by fire in 1812. The church was consecrated in honor of St. Paraskeva of Serbia.

Saint Paraskeva, born into a pious Serbian family, is known for her faith and charity. She is considered the patroness of women's winter work, housekeeping and healing springs.

The temple building is represented by a small rectangular volume under a gable roof. The main facade is completed with a triangular pediment, under which rises an onion-shaped dome on an octagonal drum. The entrance to the temple is marked by a low porch with two columns. The facades of the temple have a rather modest decorative design - whitewashed wooden corner blades, cornice and skirting boards.

In Bolshaya Sventitsa, the parishioners of the temple were residents of the surrounding villages. However, their number has decreased now. St. Seraphim Vyritsky once predicted that not persecution, but the temptations of the world would turn people away from God.

Locals talk about the times of persecution, when the temple was used as a granary. They also share information that the temple was restored by the whole world, including local residents Leonid and Elena Boleyko. After the restoration, they got married in it. Leonid, a self-taught artist, restored the inscription "I give you this promise: may you love each other" and updated the icon "The Last Supper".

The temple serves not only as a place for worship, but today it also attracts the attention of tourists interested in the history and culture of the region.