Carmelite Church, Lviv
The Carmelite Church is a
church building was first mentioned in 1634 as the church of a Barefoot Carmelite monastery. In 1748 it was the scene of a notorious scuffle ("monomachia") between the Carmelites and their neighbours, the Capuchins
.
The suburban location caused the church to be rather well fortified, yet it was ravaged by the
Swedes in the Great Northern War
. The entire façade was redesigned in the 19th century.
Still, the building retains much of its original character and design, attributed to architect Jan Pokorowicz. Especially noteworthy are the 300-year-old black marble altar and a series of frescoes executed by Giuseppe Pedretti in the 1730s.
After 1789 the church has passed through a succession of owners. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, an
Michael the Archangel
in 1991.
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| The former Carmelite church, as seen from the Powder Tower | The remaining monastery fortifications | The interior |
References
- Островский Г. С. Львов. Издание второе, переработанное и дополненное. Ленинград: Искусство, 1975. С.113.
- Памятники градостроительства и архитектуры Украинской ССР. Киев: Будивельник, 1983–1986. Том 3, с. 78.
