diff --git a/app/code/Magento/Config/Model/Config/Structure/Reader.php b/app/code/Magento/Config/Model/Config/Structure/Reader.php
index 5916649588bcb..c83c2e1ae1320 100644
--- a/app/code/Magento/Config/Model/Config/Structure/Reader.php
+++ b/app/code/Magento/Config/Model/Config/Structure/Reader.php
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ protected function _readFiles($fileList)
      * Processing nodes of the document before merging
      *
      * @param string $content
+     * @throws \Magento\Framework\Config\Dom\ValidationException
      * @return string
      */
     protected function processingDocument($content)
@@ -131,7 +132,12 @@ protected function processingDocument($content)
         $object = new DataObject();
         $document = new \DOMDocument();
 
-        $document->loadXML($content);
+        try {
+            $document->loadXML($content);
+        } catch (\Exception $e) {
+            throw new \Magento\Framework\Config\Dom\ValidationException($e->getMessage());
+        }
+
         $this->compiler->compile($document->documentElement, $object, $object);
 
         return $document->saveXML();