Pl. Katedralna – The Boim Chapel (Lviv Art Gallery)

ID: 203

The Boim Chapel, presently houses a branch of the Lviv Art Gallery. The historic name of the Boim Chapel is connected with the name of its founders, the family of Lviv merchants from the seventeenth century. The chapel was built over the course of 1609-1615. The architect is A. Bemer, and the sculptors are G. Scholz and J. Pfister. This late Renaissance building is located in the neighborhood of the Latin Cathedral, to the southeast of that church. It has features characteristic of Mannerism. This is the only chapel of the old Catholic cemetery that has been preserved to our days. From the south it is adjacent to the residential quarters of Halytska Street.

Architecture

The chapel is built from stone and is square in its design. It is completed with a cupola with a lantern crowned with the sculpture of Christ. The eastern and southern facades are segmented by pilasters. The western façade is two-tiered, completely covered with ornaments and figure reliefs carved from stone (the seventeenth century). The founders’ portraits are displayed on the eastern wall, and the “St. George” relief (dating to the seventeenth century) is set up on the northern wall.

The interior decoration is from the first half of the seventeenth century. It includes the coffered vaulted ceiling of the cupola decorated with stucco reliefs (by the sculptor J. Pfister), altar plastics (by the sculptor G. Scholz), and epitaphs from alabaster (by the sculptor J. Pfister). The interior is complimented with art pieces, namely the founders’ portraits (from the seventeenth century). Inlaid doors and carved benches (of the eighteenth century) have been preserved.

Since 1967 the Boim Chapel houses a branch of the Lviv Art Gallery.