Description of the attraction
The Bernardine Monastery is a historical and architectural landmark of the 15th century in the city of Lviv. The monastery was first mentioned in documents in 1460, when a small wooden church still stood in its place.
The Bernardine monastery was built outside the city walls, therefore it had its own fortification system, which made it possible to withstand more than one siege. Today, only the Glinyanskaya tower erected in 1618 and the eastern side of the fortifications have survived from the defensive walls. The Basilica of Saint Andrew was built from 1600 to 1630, in the style of the Italian Renaissance. Monastery cells were built near the temple, in the northern part of the fortifications.
The famous Lviv architect, Italian by origin, Pavel the Roman, was engaged in the construction of the cathedral. The construction of the church was carried out from hewn stone. After the death of Peter the Roman in 1618, his business passed to his student and follower - the Swiss architect Ambrose Prikhylyniy. Together with the Polish king Sigismund III, they found the plan of the previous master too modest, and Ambrose drew up a new plan, as a result of which a shield-pediment of a very complex, inventive configuration appeared. This part is the most valuable attraction of the Bernardine Monastery. The construction of the last third tier of the church and the completion of the facade decoration was carried out by the Wroclaw architect Andreas Bemen.
The first service took place in the church on St. Andrew's Day on December 13 in 1611, hence its name. The facade of the temple is decorated with sculptural statues of the saints of the Bernardine Order, in the niches on the second tier - statues of the Mother of God, statues of the apostles Paul and Peter. The interior of the temple is rich in paintings from the first half of the 18th century and wooden altars from the 17th century.
