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Dominican Cathedral

Baroque pearl of Lviv with miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary

📍 Lviv, Lviv•🏛️ 1749-1764

About This Site

The Dominican Church and Monastery in Lviv is an outstanding monument of Baroque architecture. Built 1749-1764, today it serves as the Greek Catholic Church of the Holy Eucharist.

The Dominican Church and Monastery is located in Lviv's Old Town, east of the market square. Originally built as the Roman Catholic Church of Corpus Christi, today it serves as the Greek Catholic Church of the Holy Eucharist. The Dominican Order first arrived in Lviv during the 13th century and the first wooden church is said to have been built in 1234 within the Low Castle. A new Gothic church was built on the present site in 1378 and later rebuilt after a fire in 1407 along with the monastery buildings. In 1749, Józef Potocki laid the cornerstone for the present day Baroque church. Between 1756 and 1761, Mikołaj Bazyli Potocki donated 236,000 złoty to the church and the Dominican monastery in Lviv. The church was consecrated in 1764 by the Latin archbishop of Lviv. The Dominicans managed to survive the reign of Austrian emperor Joseph II, who closed many other monasteries. After World War II, the complex was occupied by the Soviets, used as a warehouse, and in the 1970s changed into a museum of religion and atheism. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the church was given to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Historical Significance

The Dominican Order first arrived in Lviv during the 13th century. The first wooden church was built in 1234. A Gothic church on the present site was erected in 1378. During the 16th century, the complex was ravaged by several fires but continued to rise in prosperity. In the 18th century, the church's ceiling started cracking and it was decided to take the church apart and replace it with a new one. In 1749, Józef Potocki laid the cornerstone for the present day Baroque church. The church was consecrated in 1764. In 1865, a neo-baroque bell tower was added to the complex. After World War II, the complex was occupied by the Soviets and used as a warehouse, later becoming a museum of religion and atheism. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the church was given to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and now serves as a parish church.

The Dominican Cathedral is an outstanding monument of Lviv's Baroque architecture. The church resembles the Karlskirche in Vienna and is built on the plan of the Greek Cross inscribed in an ellipsoid and topped with a monumental dome. Before 1946, the church contained a miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, crowned by Pope Benedict XIV in 1751.