For more than a month a unique wooden church in Drohobych, Lviv region, the 15th-century St. George’s Church, has been without a roof. Rain has been falling on the walls and the 17th-century frescos since the roof was damaged from hail.
Channel 5 reports that St. George’s Church is one of the 16 church buildings in Ukraine and Poland that can be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. However, due to the dilapidated state of the church, the chances are unlikely. To renovate the church, at least three million UAH are needed. Without these funds, the UNESCO experts will not inscribe the church on the list when they visit it this fall. And the architectural monument will not survive any further weather destruction.
Lesia Letnianchyk, head of the department of architectural monuments of the local museum, which takes care of the temple, said that as rain continues to fall on the church, the priceless paintings that cover all the walls are being washed away.
According to experts, such unique structures are not found in all of Europe. The gem of the church is the frescos that were painted in the 17th century, which are preserved in their original forms. Therefore, the Drohobych church is one of the best world monuments.
Art restorer Levko Skop said that life in Drohobych in the 17th century is reproduced by the paintings. Indeed, people who lived in the city four centuries ago are depicted in the icons. According to the art restorer, the frescos show the life and architecture of the time.
Director of the Drohobychyna Museum Alla Gladun stressed that church needs to be repaired by the fall. “Because of its wooden architecture and its frescos, it is a unique church. It is not only a monument of national importance but a monument of world importance,” explained the director of the museum.