Jesuit Church, Baroque church in Teatralna Street, Lviv, Ukraine
The Garrison Church of Saints Peter and Paul, formerly the Jesuit Church, stands on Teatralna Street. Built in 1610–1630, it measures 41 m long, 22.5 m wide and 26 m high. Its facade follows the scheme of Il Gesù in Rome, and the interior holds frescoes by Franciszek and Sebastian Eckstein.
Italian architect Giacomo Briano designed this building in the early 1600s as the first Baroque landmark in Lviv. The project marked a turning point in the city's architectural history and influenced many subsequent constructions.
The church is now the garrison church of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, consecrated on 6 December 2011 for the 20th anniversary of Ukraine's Armed Forces by Archbishop Ihor Vozniak. Its name recalls the Jesuit order that built it, and the 1741 Chapel of St Benedict holds relics brought from the Didushytskyi estate at Vilkhivtsi.
The church stands on Teatralna Street, its main entrance facing the street; the interior is open to visitors when no services are held. The building is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the stone floor and long nave mean you will spend time on your feet, so wear comfortable shoes. Look for the 1741 side chapel of St Benedict near the west wall.
In 1997, excavations in the church crypt uncovered 12th-century pottery, showing this spot was settled in the Kyivan Rus era. Fragments of brick and stone found nearby on Pidkovy Square may belong to a lost Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, whose complex once stood here.
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