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Vul. Snizhna, 2 – Church of the St. Mary of Snow

ID: 165
Former Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary of Snow (presently the Greek Catholic church of the Mother of God) is one of the oldest Christian churches of Lviv; it was founded by German colonists during the late Middle Ages. The main construction periods are the thirteenth century (erection of a wooden church), the years around 1350 (stone Roman Catholic Church), the seventeenth century (reconstruction), the eighteenth century (fixing up the interior), 1888-1892 (reconstruction by the architect Julian Zachariewicz, when Neo-Roman elements were introduced).  

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Architecture

The church is located on a small hill at the intersection of Honty Street and Yaroslava Osmomysla Boulevard. It is built from stone, and has one nave. It has an elongated altar part and faceted apse, a rectangular presbytery with a bell tower and a gable roof with a small dome on its axis. The stairs in front of the façade lead to the entrance. The lower tier of the entrance portal is from rusticated stone. The portal and the windows in deep niches are semicircular. A brick vestry has been added on the northern side.  
   
The church’s interior is covered with a cross-shaped vaulted ceiling. The inner decorations include elements of Baroque wooden carving from the eighteenth century and murals from the end of the nineteenth century (by the artist E. Lepshyi).

The object in its modern condition is an example of the reconstruction of a medieval building conducted at the end of the nineteenth century in the tradition of Revival Styles architecture.

Sources

The entry was developed within the project "Galiciana", 2001-2002


Material compiled by Ihor Zhuk

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