Historical outline

The history of the Observant Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Drohobych dates back to the 17th century. Towards the end of the century, the Mozyr starost, Jan Stanislaw Bekierski, donated a large but unfavourably located estate to the monastery, consisting of a manor house with a garden and a field in the Hungarian Suburb. In addition, he donated a sum of money to the friars to help build a church and monastery. The problem was that it was too far to reach the town, so Marcin Chomętowski, who was the starost of Drohobycz, came to the rescue and offered the monks a better site, namely a square located almost in the corner of the town square.

In 1710, the foundation was approved by the Bishop of Przemyśl, Jan Kazimierz Bokum, but it took almost... half a century for approval from the Republic. The monastery enjoyed recognition, which was reflected in numerous donations. The friars ran a boarding school for poor boys, and in 1716 the Brotherhood of St Joseph was founded at the church. The church was consecrated in 1753 by the Archbishop of Lvov, Wenceslas Hieronim Sierakowski. Unfortunately, in 1789, the Austrian authorities abolished the monastery. Some of the furnishings were saved. It was moved to the local parish church.

The Roman Catholic church building was converted into an Orthodox church of the Greek rite, which still functions there today. The monastery building was purchased by the city and housed some offices and an educational institution. In 1813, however, the building was ceded to the Basilian monks who had their convent in Drohobych, but on the understanding that they would run an elementary school in the building. In 1825, the monks' previous residence burned down and they moved to the monastery, where they had been educating the young.

Architecture

A brick church with a three-nave basilica body with the chancel facing west. It is situated in the south-west corner of the square. What catches the eye at first glance is the very characteristic five-axis, two-storey façade, the focal point of which is the rosette located above the entrance door. It is located in the central axis. Above it is a triangular finial with a cross. The façade is symmetrical on both sides and splits into two side sections: a narrower section with incorporated statues of saints (on both storeys) and a wider section with rectangular window openings with semicircular finials. The main entrance is also rectangular in shape with a semicircular finial. There is an additional rectangular window opening to the left on the ground floor. The individual parts are preceded by Tuscan pilasters and cornices. The other parts are also surmounted by triangular roof finials with crosses.

The side aisles are narrower in relation to the main nave. There is a small extension in the northern corner between the side aisle and the chancel, and a vestry to the south, blended into the monastery buildings.

The roofs are gabled, triple-pitched over the towers, covered with sheet metal. The turret for the signature tower is covered with sheet metal and covered with a bell-shaped cupola.

The interior of the nave and presbytery has barrel vaults with lunettes. There are Tuscan pilasters on the walls, supported by a beam that encircles the whole church. Communication between the side aisles and the main nave is through semicircular arcades. In the wall above the masonry choir there is a characteristic round window, which is (on the other side) the focal point of the façade.

The building is in a good state of repair, although rather the main elements of its original architecture remain today. Therefore, without thorough research, it would be difficult to say what the church might have looked like before the cassation.