| Armenian Cathedral of Lviv | |
|---|---|
| Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary | |
Հայկական տաճար | |
 | |
 Armenian Cathedral of Lviv | |
| 49°50′36″N24°01′51″E / 49.84333°N 24.03083°E /49.84333; 24.03083 | |
| Address | Old Town,Lviv |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Previous denomination | Catholic Church (Armenian Catholic Church) |
| Architecture | |
| Years built | 1363–1370 |
TheArmenian Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary (Armenian:Հայկական տաճար;Ukrainian:Вірменський собор,romanized: Virmenskyi sobor;Polish:Katedra ormiańska) inLviv, Ukraine is located in the city'sOld Town, north of the market square. Until 1945 it was the cathedral of theArmenian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv. Since 2000 it has served as thecathedral of theArmenian Diocese of Ukraine.
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A smallArmenian church was built between 1363 and 1370, founded by an Armenian merchant fromCaffa. Established as the mother church of aneparchy, it was modelled on theCathedral of Ani, the ancient Armenian capital. In 1437, the cathedral was surrounded with anarcade gallery; the southern part is preserved, and the northern portion has been rebuilt into asacristy.
In 1527, the cathedral was damaged by fire. A a new stonebell tower was erected in 1571. In 1630 the mainnave; it was extended when it was rebuilt in 1723.
From the 17th century until 1945, the cathedral belonged to theArmenian Catholic archdiocese of Lviv, when bishopMikołaj (Nicolas) Torosowicz in 1630 and his successorVartan Hunanyan (1681) united the Armenian and Roman Catholic Churches, over a century before the official birth (1742) of theArmenian Catholic Church. The cathedral underwent a restoration between 1908 and 1927.
Lviv was a city in theSecond Polish Republic from 1920 until after the Second World War, when it was annexed by theSoviet Union. In 1945, the new Soviet authorities abolished the Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv, and arrested its administrator,Dionizy Kajetanowicz.[note 1] Almost all the city's Polish Armenians were expelled to modern-day Poland. The cathedral was closed, and its building was used for storing plundered sacred art. Officially, the Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv still exists, but it has remained vacant since 1938.[1]
After the collapse of the Soviet Union,Armenian Catholic families attempted to re-establish the parish. Armenians belonging to theArmenian Apostolic Church who came to Lviv during the Soviet times also sought to acquire the cathedral. Shortly before the visit ofPope John Paul II to Lviv, the local Ukrainian authorities granted the cathedral to the Armenian Apostolic Church, with the condition that the Armenian Catholic and Armenian Apostolic communities could both use it.[2] An Armenian Apostolic eparchy was established in Lviv in 1997.
On 18 May 2003, the cathedral was re-consecrated by theCatholicos of All ArmeniansKarekin II and three other Armenian Apostolic bishops. Among the guests who attended the ceremony were theSpeaker of the Armenian parliament Armen Khachatryan, former President of UkraineLeonid Kravchuk, the president of theUnion of Armenians in Ukraine, the French-Armenian singerCharles Aznavour with his son, Armenian actorArmen Dzhigarkhanyan and the Armenian ambassador to Ukraine, Hrachya Silvanyan. TheUkrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate was represented by bishop Augustin. TheUkrainian Greek Catholic Church was represented by Mikhail Dymyd. The head of the Religions State Agency Victor Bondarenko represented the Ukrainian government. Neither Polish Armenians nor any Armenian Catholic clergymen were invited.
In 2009, the cathedral began a renovation process, fully financed by thePolish Ministry of Culture in cooperation with theFoundation of Culture and Heritage of Polish Armenians seated inWarsaw. The works are being conducted jointly by Polish and Ukrainian specialists.
Just north of the cathedral lies a small convent of ArmenianBenedictines, and to the south, adjoining the bell tower, the palace of the Armenian archbishops, both built in the late 17th century. The present-day interior is largely the work ofJan Henryk Rosen andJózef Mehoffer. The cathedral holds twowonder-working icons ofSt. Gregory the Illuminator and theMother of God, brought in the 17th century fromYazlovets.[citation needed]
