St Paraskeva Piatnytsia Church

The Church of Saint Paraskeva is centrally located in the historic Podzachme. Being once an outpost on the road to Volyn, today the church - one of the oldest on the territory of Lviv .

Modern building of the temple of St. Paraskeva - is the third reconstruction of the ancient building. The first mention of a wooden church in the center of the city appeared in 1440.

It is interesting that for a long time the church building holds not only religious but also defensive functions. Residents of the troubled district of Lviv suburb need reliable protection that they provide a solid wall of the fortress city.

In 1623, a fire completely destroyed the church of St. Paraskeva. But in the mid-17th century it was completely restored thanks to the support of Prince Vladimir Lupul - ally B. Khmelnitsky. Today, the generosity of the Moldovan patron reminds memorial plaque with the family coat of arms - the image of the sun, moon, and the crowned heads of buffalo.

After the restoration of ecclesiastical buildings of its thick walls and battlements on the tower many times served as a shelter for residents.

Rapid restoration of the temple in the 17th century and left a trail of multiple restorations in architecture building. Paraskeva Church has no single style. In her appearance interwoven Baroque, Gothic, Ukrainian architecture.

It is noteworthy that the interior of the church from the 17th century has not changed. Besides ancient icons in the church of St. Paraskeva kept true masterpiece old Ukrainian art - carved iconostasis of the early 17th century. Created hands Lviv masters altar consists of 70 icons. Unique is that some of them was first used in the natural landscape as a background.