Cathedral of St. George in Lviv

At the top of the hill, as a symbol of the heavenly triumph above the earthly, the graceful Cathedral of Saint George, built according to the project of the Austrian architect Meretin, rises.

This is the pearl of late-baroque architecture of Ukraine. Baroque pathos of the church & ndash; it's like harmony expressed in a stone, but at the same time & ndash; part of the Ukrainian soul. St. George's Cathedral & ndash; it's not just a temple. Residents of Lviv come to this shrine at the call of the soul. We invite you! You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of baroque beauty and luxury.

The legend of the appearance of the cathedral is very interesting. As early as the 13th century, a terrible dragon lived in a cave on the mountain on which the monastery and the church was later built. From his cave he could hear his heavy breathing, frightening the locals. Metropolitan Leo Sheptytsky ordered to seal the cave. According to another version, Prince Lev Danilovich killed this monster in the late 13th century. Therefore, on the mountain was built a temple dedicated to the winner of the dragon.

Already in the 15th century a whole monastery grew up on this mountain, in which Hetman Bogdan Khmelnytsky himself lived and received Polish ambassadors. From that monastery, nothing remained, and later a new baroque complex was erected.

Today this cathedral impresses with its unusual appearance, including the architectural complex. You will not see it immediately. First you will pass the front gate decorated with dynamic statues that symbolize Faith, Hope, Greek and Roman church. In general, the idea of ​​uniting the Orthodox and Catholic churches played a special symbolic role in decorating the structure. Then the road leads to the square in front of the cathedral. Near the temple you will see a bell tower, designed by architect Gajek. An ancient bell of princely times has been preserved on the bell tower. He was diligently and cleanly poured unsurpassed master Jacob Skorym in 1314. The reliefs that adorn the bell are distinguished by a high artistic level of performance and clarity of the image.

To get to the middle of the temple, you need to climb the front staircase decorated with allegorical figures of geniuses & ndash; St. Leo and St. Athanasius. Above the entrance you will see a balcony, above which & ndash; Attic, crowned with a horse statue of Yuri Zmeborts. This sculptural decoration of the facade of the cathedral, sculptures of Leva and St. Athanasius belong to the brilliant Ukrainian sculptor Pinzel. His characters seem to be alive, in their impetuous gestures & ndash; so many emotions, so much vitality! And look how skillfully every flashlight is cut out, which adorns the facade of the cathedral.

When you enter the temple, the first thing that will attract your attention is & ndash; this is a light unconventional, like a transparent iconostasis, beautiful Ukrainian embroidery. The altar of the cathedral is decorated with icons with figures of prophets of the outstanding Ukrainian artist of the 18th century Luke Dolinsky. For his work, the artist was awarded the gold ring of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II.

Also look at the valuable relic of the temple & ndash; The miraculous icon of the Terebovlyan Mother of God of the 17th century. According to legend, in 1663, from the eyes of the Virgin Mary, tears flowed for forty days as a warning about the attack of the Turks. In 1704, the icon teared, when King Charles XII captured Lviv. The scientists studied the icon and confirmed that the remnants of the liquid are very reminiscent of human tears.

You will not be able to get to the Cathedral of Saint Jura. From the railway station there is a tram number 6. At the second stop, go outside the Church of Saint Lizhebetta. Then you can select several routes. If you go down Sheptytsky Street, then go straight to the cathedral. You can also go along Gorodetska Street, turn right and see St. George's Cathedral.