Bernardine Church in Hvizdets
Interesting details
Years of construction
1721 - 1735
Founder
Mykola Potocki
Architect
Unknown
Sculptor
Unknown
Foundation
The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Bernardine Monastery in Hvizdets has a rich history, dating back to the 15th century. In the 16th century, Hvizdets belonged to the Buchatsky, Potocki and Puzyn families. In 1475, Jan Prokopovich from Hvizdets became the first founder of the church. However, during the Tatar attacks in 1615-1623, the church was destroyed. Its restoration began in 1710.
In 1715, Prince Michal Puzina founded a wooden Bernardine monastery in Gvizdka. In 1728, the church burned down, but construction of a new brick church soon began. This was made possible by the generosity of the founder, Sophia Puzina, and her husband, Ludwik Kalinowski.
The church was completed and consecrated in 1896. During World War II, the church bells were confiscated by the German occupiers, and in 1945 the monks were forced to leave the monastery. After that, the building was used as a warehouse and retained this status until the early 1990s.
The church is located north of the market town of Hvizdets and faces east. It is built of brick with stone and plastered. The architectural style of the church combines elements of Baroque and Classicism. It is a single-nave building with a shallow transept and a square presbytery.
The interior of the church is rich in numerous sculptures and altars.
The main altar, made by Ferdinand Majerski in 1890-1892, is a masterpiece of the neo-Baroque style. The wooden polychrome figures of Saints Francis, Archangel Michael, Saint Clare and Saint Anthony add grandeur and solemnity to the interior decoration.
The monastery is built of brick with the use of stone and plastered. It has a two-story structure with round wings adjacent to the church on the south side. The inner courtyard forms a square shape. The first floor contains office premises, a salon, an archive, a chancery and kitchens. The second floor contains cells and additional rooms.
The church complex is surrounded by a brick and plastered wall. The bell tower, built in 1776-1778 and rebuilt in 1899-1902, is a two-story structure with two entrances. The upper part of the bell tower is decorated with stone carvings and flowerpots.
The architectural features of the church were studied by Professor Zbichniv Gornuńcz, who recognized Franciszek Ksavery Kulczynski as an influential architect of the 18th century. The liturgical vestments of the church were analyzed in Paris and are kept in the museum of the Polish Province of the Order of the Bernardines in Leżajsk.
The remains of stone and wood carvings, including figures of saints in the facade niches, are among the best examples of the second half of the 18th century Lviv School. Some of these figures are kept in the Ivano-Frankivsk Art Museum.
Unfortunately, today the church and monastery are in a neglected state. The vault of the sanctuary has a deep crack, the walls are devoid of plaster, and some cornices have collapsed. Some of the property was destroyed or lost, and some was transported to the Bernardine monastery in Lizhayevsk.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Bernardine Monastery in Hvizdka are important historical and cultural sites. They attract the attention of tourists and architecture researchers with their rich history and architectural grandeur. Despite their neglected state, this complex remains a symbol of the spiritual and cultural heritage of Ukraine.
We invite you to visit this unique historical site to see with your own eyes the grandeur of the church and feel the spirit of past centuries.
Photo taken from the website: https://uaaheritage.blogspot.com/