Dormition Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Greek-Catholic church in Lourdes, France
The Dormition Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church is a white, cross-shaped building with a dark grey pitched roof and five gold onion domes topped with crosses: one large central dome, two slightly smaller ones in front and behind it, and two smaller ones on the outer front corners. The main facade has a projecting gabled section with a tall arched mosaic of two haloed robed figures, flat pilasters at the corners, and a small dark door at the right of the base. Two tall palm trees stand at the front edges.
Before the church existed, from 1968 Ukrainian pilgrims used a chapel in the Rosary Basilica, its altar painted with funds from the worldwide diaspora by artists in Paris, Detroit and Australia. The church was built in 1982 with donations collected by Fr. Vasyl Pryima, on a design given by architect Myroslav Nimtsiv, and consecrated on 28 August 1982 by Archbishop Myroslav-Ivan Lubachivsky.
The church belongs to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Saint Volodymyr the Great, and follows a Latinised variant of the Byzantine rite. Its iconostasis, a wooden screen of icons, separates the celebrating clergy from the choir and faithful. Services are held only in the warm season, from Palm Sunday to 1 November.
The church stands at 8 bis Rue de l'Ukraine in the La Bastide-Lannedarré district, facing the Ukrainian hotel of the Saint Volodymyr the Great Eparchy. Regular services are held only in the warm season, from Palm Sunday to 1 November. It is a Greek-Catholic, not Orthodox, place of worship.
The church is the only work by icon painter Yuriy Nowosielski outside Poland; he painted its interior in four months, from January to April 1984. The iconostasis was made by Petro Kholodny. A memorial plaque on the facade honours those who died for the faith and freedom of Ukraine.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,661 contributors worldwide.