Church of Transfiguration, Lviv (must see)

The Church of the Transfiguration in Lviv is one of the most historically layered sacred sites in the Old Town, reflecting centuries of religious change, architectural evolution, and cultural resilience. The church stands on the site of an earlier Roman Catholic church built for the Trinitarian Order between 1703 and 1731. That original structure, designed in a French classicist style with a richly Baroque interior, served the order until 1783, when Emperor Joseph II dissolved the monastery and converted the building into the Lviv University Library.

Its story took a dramatic turn in 1848 during the Spring of Nations, when Austrian artillery fire almost completely destroyed the library and the church that preceded it. The ruins remained for decades until they were given to the Greek Catholic community in 1875. Reconstruction began shortly after, and the new church was completed in 1898. In 1906, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky consecrated the renewed Church of the Transfiguration, establishing it as a major spiritual centre for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Architecturally, the current building is a three-nave basilica designed by Sylvester Havryshkevych in a Historicist style that merges classical forms with motifs drawn from Ukrainian ecclesiastical tradition. Its façade, framed by two towers and a graceful central dome, gives the church a distinct presence within Lviv’s dense historic fabric. The dome, visible from the interior, creates a bright vertical accent to the otherwise balanced basilica plan.

Inside, the church is richly decorated in accordance with Eastern Rite traditions. The gold iconostasis, crafted by Tadeusz Popiel between 1900 and 1901, dominates the sanctuary. Popiel and Kornylo Ustiyanovych contributed numerous paintings, including the prominent image of the Transfiguration behind the altar. Sculptor Leonard Marconi created twelve expressive statues of the apostles, while the cupola frescoes depict the four evangelists, adding depth and colour to the lofty interior.

The church also holds great symbolic importance: in October 1989, after decades of Soviet repression, it became the first parish in Lviv to return to the Greek Catholic community. Today, it stands not only as an architectural treasure but as a testament to the city’s enduring spiritual heritage.