Hoshcha [Гоща; Hošča]. Map: III-7. Town smt (2011 pop 5,360) and raion center in Rivne oblast, situated on the Horyn River. First mentioned in the 14th century, in the late 16th century it became a center of the Socinians in Volhynia, who established a school there in the early 17th century. To combat their influence, an Orthodox monastery with a secondary school was founded there in 1638. In the 18th century the monastery and school were taken over by the Basilian monastic order, who maintained them until 1833. The miraculous icon of the Mother of God in the Pochaiv Monastery originated in Hoshcha. Today the town produces butter, cheese, and animal feed.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 2 (1988).]