The ruins of the church are in the village of Hodovytsa which is located a few miles from the southern border of Lviv, Ukraine. In 1751-58, the Church of All Saints was built there, and it is one of the most brilliant creations of the outstanding Lviv architect Bernard Meretin.
Funds for the construction were allocated by Lviv’s archdeacon S. Mikulsky. Work on the decor of the temple continued throughout the next decade, and the Church of All Saints was eventually consecrated in 1774.
The church is also known for its altar, which was created by the famous sculptor Johann Georg Pinzel. The altar is currently kept in Oleshsky castle, while some of his other sculptures are on display in the Pinzel Museum in Lviv.
Ruins
In 1927, work was carried out on the restoration of the main altar, and in 1929-31, some murals were restored. In 1946, the church was closed and instead became a commercial building.
Later, when Ukraine gained independence, the church was not returned to believers, suggesting a lack of Catholics in the village of Hodovytsa.
In 2012, the famous Louvre Museum hosted an exhibition of works by Pinzel, which resulted in a resurgence of interest in the sculptor and his work.
The basis of the Louvre exhibition was the work done on the altar of the Church of All Saints in Hodovytsa. The creators of the exhibition even sought to recreate the interior and the internal atmosphere of the church.
During the exhibition, the Honorary Consul of France promised his assistance in the restoration. At another time, the Catholic community in Poland expressed interested in the fate of the church, but they did not succeed in getting it restored either.
In 2013, the Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Mikhail Kulinyak, promised to pay close attention to the entire legacy of Pinzel, including the church in Hodovytsa. However, the leaders of this department changed several times after that, and this landmark of sacral architecture was ultimately ignored.
Local authorities claim that in order to start work on the building, it is necessary not only to allocate funds for the project but also to make appropriate changes to the regional program for the protection of monuments. That would entail the regional council including this site on its list of those requiring work.
The central and local authorities have disregarded the temple, allowing it to collapse. The church is in a terrible state despite the fact that it has the status of a national architectural monument.
The roof of the church fell in long ago, and inside nature began to reign over architecture. However, some frescoes which were made in the late 18th century by the famous artist Alexander Rolinsky have survived.
A considerable amount of funding is needed for the restoration of the ruins since the roof, facade, and interior completely need restoration.
The Ukrainian project “Heritage” was launched by Maxim Ritus to gather information about architectural monuments and their photographs. You can find more photos on his Livejournal page via this link.
Also big thanks to Anna Muntyan for such amazing photographs. You should check her Behance account.
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