Pyatnytska Church, Lviv

The iconostasis of Pyatnytska Church became the original, unique monument of Ukrainian art in the first half of XVII century, it has about seventy icons.

According to last researches the author might be Fedir Senkovich, with whose name the history of Assumption Church is connected. Master left us interesting works which attract with their national originality and mixture of local traditions and western influences.

Dramatic scenes of "Passion of Christ" are especially impressive, their action occurs in three-dimensional space. Traditional Byzantine iconography and compositional schemes of the ancient Ukrainian art is often associated with the methods and means used by the masters of the Northern Italian and German-Dutch Renaissance.

The main thing is that Ukrainian painters had aspirations to realism, extension of the creative range and art means, more close connection of artistic tasks with purposes and interests of political and religious movements of nation. Not by chance that in the interpretation of the Gospel characters it is expressed sharply the critical attitude of the Ukrainian artist to Catholicism and the servants of the Roman Church. Filigree style of performance corresponds to the finest carving gilded iconostasis with delicate columns.

In XVII century Pyatnytska Church inside and outside was decorated with frescos. Now the interior has paintings of Luka Dolynskyi, which were created in the end of XVIII century. But outside, on the tower, discovered in 1908 fragments of old fresco frieze with winged angels heads and garland of fruits were preserved.

Pyatnytska Church (B.Khmelnytskogo Street, 77) was built in 1643-1645.

Near the street Bohdan Khmelnytsky, we offer to apartments in Lviv for daily rent through our website and you will be at the epicenter of the history of the city.

In XIII century there was a temple of rubble. Remains of it - apse and the lower part of the walls - are preserved, and current church was built on very ancient basis.

The church was built at the expense of Moldovan ruler Vasil Lupul. On its territory several rulers of Moldova were buried. The south wall is decorated with coat of arms - sun, moon, buffalo head and crown. Around it there are letters: I—В—В—Б—М—Г—З—М, which mean: "Ivan Vasilii, governor with grace of God, ruler of Moldova"

Pyatnytska Church is not big, it is compact and in the same time monumental and majestic. Thick walls of strong, reliable laying, narrow embrasures are reminiscent of those troubled times, when the church was and defense construction. Relatively short nave ends from one hand with porch-babinets, and on the other - with the ancient apse composed of the "wild" stone.

On each side there are small chapels attached later. High tower has main architectural significance, it is crowned with dome in form of onion. Eastern facade of church is decorated with semicircular niche in several rows. In its architecture you can notice features of Moldovan and Western European - Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architecture.

However, Pyatnytska Church remains original and very valuable monument of Lviv construction of XVII century, it continued and developed the best traditions of national Ukrainian architecture.

Unfortunately, monuments of living architecture of XIV-XVI centuries were not preserved in such quantity as monuments of religious architecture.