Nearly 1.2 mln UAH allocated to reconstruct the convent of Armenian Benedictines in Lviv

Restoration works on the facades on Lesya Ukrainka street, 10 - the former monastery of the Armenian Benedictines are ongoing. The main work is performed by the contracting organization PE "Restavrator".

The stone restoration is carried out by Ukrainian and German specialists within the project "Municipal development and renovation of the ancient part of Lviv" (GIZ). The city budget allocated for restoration about 1.2 million UAH.

“This building, at a first glance, is not ostentatious, however, it was built in the late 17th century. This is a convent of the Armenian Benedictines. it was built as part of the Armenian Cathedral and was an integral part thereof. We plan to complete all the work by the end of October.

When performing the work there were difficulties. First, here is a stone plinth, laid out of large stone blocks, which, in due time, was spotted with soot by Housing Management Office. This layer of soot has penetrated into the stone that it was very difficult to clear it,” said Lilia Onyshchenko, head of the Department for the Protection of the Historical Environment of LMR.

The works are supervised by Dirk Brüggeman, an expert on GIZ.

“We carry out the restoration of the stone. We ordered the Polyansky stone, it was traditionally used in Lviv. We make copies of inserts from a stone and then they are installed in the basement. Not all parts are replaced, but only completely destroyed. After all, if we talk about the restoration, what should be like in reality, then the restoration does not consist of completely replacing any parts, but is to replace what is completely destroyed and to keep as much as possible what we have. Therefore, we replace as little detail as possible. Copies are made according to traditional methods that have historically been formed,” Dirk Brüggemann said. It was reported by Lviv Newspaper.

Background

A building located at 10 Lesia Ukrainka street10 is a monastic house, erected in 1682, today architecturally adjoins the ensemble of the Armenian Cathedral. The construction of the monastery began in the second half of the seventeenth century, after the Armenian-Catholic nuns appeared in Lviv.

The room was not lucky in terms of fire resistance. In 1748 a fire occurred, which caused damage to the monastery. The next devastating fire broke out in the Armenian quarter of 1778, and the monastery buildings were reconstructed in 1779.

The monastery of the Armenian Benedictines was recorded in the tax books of 1767, where we find information that its facade had 53 centimeters in length. There was also a school here.

In 1872, a fire broke out again, which set off at the convent’s school. The monastery was rebuilt in 1873. The works were executed under the direction of E. Choler. It was then that the building had acquired a modern look. After the Second World War the convent was liquidated, and the scientific and restoration workshops were located on its premises.