Bernardine Monastery
Bernardine Monastery is a unique historical monument in Lviv. Nowadays, the monastery belongs to the Lviv State Historical Archive, and the church in the monastery is the property of the Greek Catholic Church.
The Bernardine Monastery is inherently a powerful fortified bastion. That's because the monastery was located outside the city walls and he needed fortifications in order to save property from enemy raids. The monastery was built around the 15th century, but the former building was burned and restored several times. In the 17-18th century, all buildings in the monastery were replaced with stone ones. In 1600-1630 they built one of the main attractions of the monastery - the Church of St. Andrew. At the same time, high walls with loopholes were erected. In 1618, the Glinyansky gates, which are a closed courtyard in the form of a triangle, were erected nearby for the defense of the monastery. Before the wall there was a moat that the loafers watched.
Previously, a statue of the patron saint of Lviv, St. Jan from Dukla, stood in front of the church. Now there is a decorative column in this place. The church itself in the Bernardine Monastery began to be built in 1600, and the main work was completed after 20 years. The church was erected using a grate in the form of a three-powered basilica. The lower part of the facade was performed in the spirit of the Renaissance. The architects of the building were Pavel Rimlyanin and Ambrosius Blagosklon. The facade was decorated with sculptures of revered saints from the Order of the Bernardines, on the 2nd floor you can see statues of the apostles Paul and Peter, as well as a statue of the Mother of God. At the same time, cells for monks were built. In 1738-1740, Mazurkevich and his assistants painted the inner walls of the church. In 1733, a bell tower was attached to the defense wall of the monastery.
The Bernardine Monastery is one of the most interesting sights of the lion of the 17-18th centuries, which combines all the virtues of the Renaissance and the subsequent mannerism.
