St. Lawrence's Church, Zhovkva
Encyclopedia
The Collegiate Church of St. Lawrence (Ukrainian
: Костел святого Лаврентія у Жовкві; Polish
: Kolegiata pw. św. Wawrzyńca w Żółkwi) is the main Roman Catholic church of Zhovkva
, Ukraine
.
and his family.
in the early 17th century. They include Paul the Lucky, Paul of Rome, and Ambrozy Przychylny. The building is raised on a terrace constructed by the Turkish captives. The hexagonal bell tower
, originally part of Zhovkva's fortifications, leans somewhat to the east.
The frieze
and some parts of the interior recall martial events. Especially notable are two statues attributed to Andreas Schluter
. The dome is heavily coffered. In the 17th century, the walls of the church were decorated with pictorial representations of Zolkiewski's and Sobieski's battles executed by Szymon Boguszowicz and Martin Altamonte, among others. They have since been moved to Olesko Castle
.
Apart from the Zolkiewsky, the church contains the family vaults of their relatives such as the Danilowiczy and the Sobiesky, notably Jakub Sobieski
, John III's father. The church is often viewed as a shrine to the golden age of Polish military achievement; so much so that its ongoing restoration has been sponsored by the Warsaw University of Technology
and the Polish military.
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
: Костел святого Лаврентія у Жовкві; Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
: Kolegiata pw. św. Wawrzyńca w Żółkwi) is the main Roman Catholic church of Zhovkva
Zhovkva
Zhovkva is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine, north of Lviv. It is the administrative center of the Zhovkivskyi Raion . The current estimated population is 13,500.-History:...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
History
It was built between 1606 and 1618 as the pantheon of the Polish commander Stanislaw ZolkiewskiStanislaw Zólkiewski
Stanisław Żółkiewski was a nobleman of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, magnate and military commander who took part in many campaigns both in the Commonwealth and on its southern and eastern border...
and his family.
Architecture
The building's design is attributed to a team of Italian Mannerist architects active in LvivLviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
in the early 17th century. They include Paul the Lucky, Paul of Rome, and Ambrozy Przychylny. The building is raised on a terrace constructed by the Turkish captives. The hexagonal bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, originally part of Zhovkva's fortifications, leans somewhat to the east.
The frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
and some parts of the interior recall martial events. Especially notable are two statues attributed to Andreas Schluter
Andreas Schlüter
Andreas Schlüter was a German baroque sculptor and architect associated with the Petrine Baroque style of architecture and decoration.-Biography:...
. The dome is heavily coffered. In the 17th century, the walls of the church were decorated with pictorial representations of Zolkiewski's and Sobieski's battles executed by Szymon Boguszowicz and Martin Altamonte, among others. They have since been moved to Olesko Castle
Olesko Castle
The Olesko Castle is currently located within the borders of the present-day Busk Raion in Ukraine. The first historical records of the castle are in a document dated 1390, when Pope Boniface IX gave Halych, a Catholic bishop, this castle as a gift...
.
Apart from the Zolkiewsky, the church contains the family vaults of their relatives such as the Danilowiczy and the Sobiesky, notably Jakub Sobieski
Jakub Sobieski
Jakub Sobieski was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, parliamentarian, diarist, political activist, military leader and father of King Jan III Sobieski. Son of castellan and voivode Marek Sobieski and Jadwiga Snopkowska.- Life :...
, John III's father. The church is often viewed as a shrine to the golden age of Polish military achievement; so much so that its ongoing restoration has been sponsored by the Warsaw University of Technology
Warsaw University of Technology
The Warsaw University of Technology is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland, and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors . The student body numbers 36,156 , mostly full-time. There are 17 faculties covering almost all fields of...
and the Polish military.