Saint George's Cathedral, Greek Catholic Cathedral at Saint George Square, Lviv, Ukraine
Saint George's Cathedral is a Baroque church of pale yellow and cream stone on St. George's Hill above Lviv. Its tall central tower rises in tiers to a dark dome topped by a small cross, while the lower right-hand section carries a rounded pediment with a sculpted figure. A blue-grey sloped roof with small dormer windows joins the two, and a stone wall with a black iron fence and gate stands in front.
A wooden house of worship from the late 13th century stood on this hill before the present building was begun in the mid-18th century. Construction lasted about 16 years, and later restorations added further decorative detail.
The name Yur comes from Saint George, and the hill has been called Sviatoyurska since the princely era. The cathedral holds the wonder-working Icon of the Virgin Mary, brought from Terebovlia in 1674 by Bishop Joseph Shumlianskyi. The Act of Unification with Rome was proclaimed here in 1700.
The entrance lies at the top of a long paved stairway rising from the square, and the climb offers wide views over the city center. Interior spaces remain open to visitors during daytime hours, with services taking place in the morning and evening.
The cathedral's most precious relic is the wonder-working Icon of the Virgin Mary, painted in the 17th century and brought to Lviv from Terebovlia in 1674 by Bishop Joseph Shumlianskyi. In the crypt lie the tombs of Metropolitans Andrei Sheptytsky, Sylvester Sembratovych and Josyf Slipyj, whose remains were placed there in 1992.
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