BUILDING A EUROPEAN FUTURE IN LVIV

2010-02-10

Few places have had such a tumultuous, at times tragic, but truly European history as Lviv, the capital-in-fact of West Ukraine, which is also known in Russian as Lvov, in Polish as Lwów, in German as Lemberg, and in Latin as Leopolis.

Indeed, Lviv has been one of the main centres and stages of European cultural history.
Today, it is the scene of a remarkable cultural revival, emancipating from the depressing soviet era. It also has become a remarkable laboratory of diversity, Ukrainians living together with Russians, Poles and a dozen other communities. The same applies to religious communities, which are intimately intertwined with Lviv’s history: Greek Catholics, Latin Catholics, Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, Jews and others, are learning to co-exist in mutual respect.

This is the context of the restoration project of the Residence of the Roman catholic Archbishop of the Latin rite, presently Mgr. Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki who was designated after having served in Rome as deputy private secretary to Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. The Archdiocesan Residence was erected in the years 1840-1844 by architect J. Salzman at the initiative of Archbishop Franciszek Piszteka. The building is in the Austrian late-classical style. In 1945, the Soviet armed forces ordered the then Archbishop to abandon the building and leave it to the Soviet government. In 2001, the government of Ukraine decided to render the building to the Archdiocese. As of 2004, restitution was effected.

The Archdiocesan Residence was and potentially is one of the most splendid buildings in Lviv. Since the building had been used during Soviet times as an industrial and factory site, it needs, however, to be entirely and thoroughly restored. The first stage of renovation is in progress. Several remarkable ceiling paintings have already been discovered during these works.

The estimated total cost of restoration is ca. 3,5 million EUR. Several partners contribute and made pledges, but additional financing needs to be secured.

Restoring the Archdiocesan Residence is necessary for the proper functioning of the Archdiocese, but simultaneously contributes to the preservation of a site which occupies a prominent place in the town of Lviv and therefore in the ongoing history of this part of Europe.

A STORY FROM

Fernand Keuleneer
Belgique