Lviv – St. George’s Cathedral

St. George’s Cathedral is located on the top of a hill, which was noticeable given that due to some slightly poor planning on my behalf we had to walk up it. There has been a religious building on the site since the thirteenth century, with the current cathedral being constructed between 1744 and 1760.

A pretty little cat at the entrance.

Before the Second World War this cathedral was the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, but it was suppressed by the Soviets in the 1940s. It remained part of the Russian Orthodox Church until 1990 when it was, after a period of occupation, restored to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The cathedral’s altar. The design of the interior is mostly baroque, although there are also elements of rococo and classicism, which all come together well.

The bright and open nave. There is also apparently access available to the crypts where some of the bishops are buried, although I didn’t see this during the visit.

There’s a copy of the Turin shroud on display in the cathedral.

There’s a high nave and a central dome.

Looking back across the nave area towards the main entrance to the cathedral.

It’s not in the centre of the city, but it’s not a long walk from the Old Town area of Lviv. The cathedral had a courtyard to the front which gave it additional character, and there were decent views across the city from the elevated location. There were some toilets to the right-hand side of the entrance which cost 2UAH, although the level of interest in their cleanliness did seem rather limited.