Vul. Zalizniaka, 11 – Church of St. Joseph the Betrothed ID: 971
The former Jesuit Retreat House is a monument of early twentieth-century architecture, situated set back on its plot southwest of the city center in the Novyi Svit district. It was constructed according to a design by architects Józef Piątkowski and Karol Richtman. Between 1914 and 1916, the Jesuit Church of St. Joseph and Blessed Andrzej Bobola was built adjacent to the retreat house, based on a design by architects Stanisław Dydek and Franciszek Mączyński. In September 1939, during the shelling and aerial bombardment of Lviv, the roofs of both the retreat house and the church were damaged. The Soviet authorities closed the house on April 4, 1946. During the Soviet period, it functioned as a school; the building was remodeled, connected to the church by a gallery, and the decoration of the principal elevation was altered. Since August 1993, a portion of the building has been transferred to the novitiate of the Greek Catholic Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of St. Vincent de Paul. The church now houses the Greek Catholic Church of St. Joseph the Betrothed, while most of the house's premises are used by the National Forestry and Wood-Technology University of Ukraine.
Story
The former Jesuit Retreat House, an Architectural monument of the twentieth century, was designed by Józef Piątkowski and Karol Richtman. Construction began in 1907 and continued until 1911 under the supervision of engineer Józef Wysocki. The building was consecrated on August 30, 1908. From 1914 to 1916, the Jesuit Church of St. Joseph and Blessed Andrzej Bobola was built alongside it according to a design by Stanisław Dydek. The design was later refined and modified by architect Franciszek Mączyński, who is considered Dydek's co-author. The building permit was issued based on drawings signed by Mączyński.
The retreat house and church were enclosed in 1921, with the fence design executed by Michał and Tadeusz Kustanowicz. In September 1939, the roofs of the buildings were damaged during the bombardment of Lviv. The Soviet government closed the facility on April 4, 1946.
During the Soviet era, the retreat house housed a school (most of the premises are now used by the National Forestry and Wood-Technology University of Ukraine). After World War II, the building was renovated (an additional storey was added and a gallery connecting it to the church was built, the decoration of the principal elevation was altered. Since August 1993, part of the building has been transferred to the novitiate of the Greek Catholic Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul. The church now houses the Greek Catholic Church of St Joseph the Betrothed.
Architecture
The building was constructed in the geometric forms of the Vienna Secession. It is a brick structure, plastered, consisting of three stories and a mansard floor, set upon a high stone base. The layout is complex. The right avant-corps forms a wing intended for retreatants and the clergy. The building originally contained 68 rooms, including accommodations for retreatants, utility buildings, and a chapel for 100 people. The ceilings are flat. The principal northeast elevation features an asymmetrical composition, with a central avant-corps shifted to the right containing the main entrance, flanked by two smaller avant-corps. The façade is horizontally emphasized by light rustication and finished at the top by a profiled cornice. The central avant-corps is topped with a triangular gable, which follows the contours of the roof at its lower part. The main entrance is framed by an archivolt, above which sits a large semicircular window featuring a 1960s mosaic. This window was once adorned with a high relief figure of the Virgin Mary, flanked by St. Stanislaus Kostka and Blessed Andrzej Bobola (by sculptor S. Piątkowicz, 1911). Two deep semicircular niches are located on the pediment field; they formerly held sculptures of St. Joseph and St. Ignatius of Loyola (no longer extant). The building is covered by a high mansard roof with a single break and irregularly placed dormers.