Historic and Architectural Lviv, Page 2

The same monastery became his place of eternal rest. Both sides of the Volynskyy Way the main town street at that time abounded in wooden architectural buildings, like St. Theodore, Resurrection, St. Michael Ukrainian churches, along with St. Jacob and St. Christ Armenian Churches. However, they havent preserved till today.

The princely Lviv was one of the richest towns in Rus. The town territory was well fortified. However, frequent inroads of Mongol-and-Tatar hordes under- mined the strength of the Principality of Halychyna and Volyn. In the second half of the 16th century the town was subordinated by the Polish Kingdom and for six centuries was left to stand the burden of the foreign rule. This is the time when a new town arises in the southern part of the old princely town, fortified with towers and walls of stone, with buildings, central square, and the town council.
Remnants of the Kings Armory, Town Armory and the Gunpowder Tower are all that is left from the defensive buildings. Stones from the original Armory were partly used in the construction of this tower (1554 1556). This building was a part of the fortification system and stood on the rampart, behind the second wall ring and the ditch and served to defend the town from the east. In war days it served as a fortress and food store-house, in peaceful time as a warehouse for the goods transported through Lviv.

The High Castle, erected on the Princes Hill, was a true town guard. The castle was first carried by assault by Zaporizhzhya Cossacks under the leadership of colonel Maksym Kryvonis during the Liberation War of the Ukrainian people in 1648. Early in the 18th century it was taken by the troops of Charles XII, the Swedish King. The second half of the 18th century was the beginning of the fortresss demolishment, only a wall fragment is left.

The architectural ensemble of the Rynok Square takes a special place in Lvivs architecture. Almost rectangular square is surrounded from four sides by 44 houses, various in epochs and style (Renaissance, Baroque, and Empire). Basements and ground floors Fragment of many buildings still bear traces of gothic architecture of the 15th16th centuries referring to various styles.

Here on the same square you can see Bandinellis palace, where the first town post office was held, Kornyakts palace, which in the late 17th century was owned by Jan II Sobieski, the Polish King. Today it is Lviv Historical Museum, where you can often listen to concerts of classical and old music in the Italian courtyard and king halls. You will also find the museum-drugstore, which has been running without respite for over 250 years. The center of the square is crowned by the Town Hall which used to be rebuilt a couple of times in the course of centuries. The first Town Hall building was laid down by Prince Volodyslav Opolskyi. It would burn down several times. The Town Hall building was topped by a 58 meters high old tower. Already in 1404 the city tower had a clock on it. The one striking hours today was made in 1851 in Vienna. Its present look the city council building acquired in the second half of the 19th century. During 1848 revolution the city council was set on fire and the dome with the old clock fell down. It was rebuilt in 3 years, however left without a dome. Lvivites and guests of the city have an opportunity to feast their eyes upon the view of the ancient town. Unique beauty of the square emerges in the statues surrounding it at the corners that arose two hundred years ago (sculptor G.Vitver). These are four Empire fountains of the beginning of XIX century in Rynok Square with figures of Ancient mythology characters Neptune, Diane, Adonis, and Amphitrite.

In about 1360 Latin Cathedral was laid down next to the Rynok Square. Construction lasted almost 100 years. The cathedral shows severe and simple gothic features, remaining at the same time monumental and lofty. The altar part has been left almost intact till today. In the 16th17th a number of chapels grew around the cathedral.

Besides the Latin Cathedral two more architectural monuments were built in the 14th century St. George Cathedral and the Armenian Cathedral. St. George Church has not preserved till today. The Armenian Cathedral was constructed between 1370 and 1390. The church was built according to the Armenian temple pattern, however it was influenced by the Roman and Gothic architecture of the Western Europe and to a great extent by the old Rus Halychan architectural borwings.

The monastery courtyard keeps a splendid gallery with ornamented columns and rare stone carvings of that epoch. The yard column with St. Christophers figure arising on it bears a particular artistic value. The ensemble comprises the church, the building of the former nunnery, and the archbishops palace. Massive 140-cm thick walls, erected of chipped stone, are faced with stone plates both from inside and outside. The cupola construction is unique it rests on the edges constructed of clay pots.

In 1527 Lviv suffered a fire which spread not only to the middle part of the town, but also to its suburbs Pidzamche, Znesennya. Only the city tower managed to survive, while the fire devoured the Armenian Cathedral, the walls of Latin Cathedral. Citizens would rush to leave the town, but still remained. Lviv was revived in a comparatively short period of time. Few monuments of Gothic architecture have preserved in Lviv: Roman-Catholic churches of John the Baptist, Maria Snizhna, Latin Cathedral and fragments of livings quarters, esp. in the Rynok Square.

Beginning with the middle of the 16th century tendencies of the Renaissance culture start to opermeate all spheres of Lviv life (2nd half of the 16th first half of the 17th cc.). The proud of Lviv found its quintessence in the construction of the famous Renaissance ensemble of the Assumption Church consisting of three monuments: the Church of Virgin Marys Assumption, the three Prelates Chapel, and Kornyakt Bell-tower. This ensemble was constructed at the place of the first princely orthodox Assumption Church in the classical style of the Ukrainian wooden temples exciting with festivity and lyrical nature, so typical of the national Ukrainian character. The 66 m-high tower is considered to be the best looking city bell-tower. One of its bells Kyrylo is 2 m wide in diameter and weighs 4 tons. The Assumption Church Ensemble is one of the most explicit expressions of the Ukrainian ingenious creativity, a beautiful building of the Renaissance epoch.

Not far from the building one could see a construction which by its exceptional artistic value used to belong to Lviv architectural masterpieces. We are talking about the synagogue Golden Rose, built in 1582. It combines the gothic features with those of Renaissance. In 1942 the building was destructed, only a part of the northern wall is left.