An exhibition of restored art works from Pidhirtsi will be opened at Lviv Polytechnic

On May 12, within the framework of the International online seminar «Reproduction of monuments and memories in the cultural landscape of Pidhirtsi village», there will be the opening of an exhibition of restored art works – the image of the Eucharist with the image of the church and the church stone cross from Pidhirtsi. The event starts at at 10:00 in the Zakharievich Hall (room 214), the main building of Lviv Polytechnic

– The seminar is a continuation of a large-scale work on the study of the inventory of monuments on the Pidhirtsi-Plisnytsia territories, which I have been conducting for over twenty years. At the meeting we want to discuss the results of cooperation on the restoration of art works, as well as to present a project to restore a wooden church in Pidhirtsi village and to plan a series of events for 2021–2025, said Oresta Remeshylo-Rybchynska, Associate Professor at the Department of Design and Architecture Fundamentals, Institute of Architecture and Design, Lviv Polytechnic National University.

An interesting is the history of this area. According to Oresta Remeshylo-Rybchynska, the Pidhirtsi residence was built there in the 1640s, and in the 18th century, after the third floor of the castle was built, a park was created and a Kościół was opened, a wooden church was moved here for the local population. It became a center of spirituality.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a brick Greek Catholic church was built in Nyzhni Pidhirtsi, where the authentic Ukrainian population lived. The church became Orthodox during the Soviet era.

– In this brick church during the expeditions I found a huge image of the Eucharist, which hung in a transept and was very destroyed over the years. Having agreed with the community of the village, we took this icon for restoration. We restored it together with artists from Lviv National Academy of Arts, in particular with Larysa Voznytska-Razinkova and students majoring in Restoration. And the church cross, which was destroyed during the fire, was restored by Professor Oleh Rybchynskyi together with students of the Department of Architecture and Restoration, the Institute of Architecture and Design of our University, says Oresta Remeshylo-Rybchynska. We also measured Pidhirtsi Castle and explored a wooden church. Unfortunately, it burned down in 2006. But, having these measurements, at the suggestion of the local population, we intend to restore it. We organized an international meeting to discuss key issues, the most important of which was our right to rebuild the architectural monument. The resolution was that we can do that as the shrine is part of an ensemble and an important historical site. Therefore, the second part of our seminar will be dedicated to discussing the organization of church reconstruction, as well as creating its model.