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ID: POL-002062-P

St Anne's Parish Church in Lipovec

Lipowiec | Ukraine
Lipowice, ukr. Липовець
ID: POL-002062-P

St Anne's Parish Church in Lipovec

Lipowiec | Ukraine
Lipowice, ukr. Липовець
Variants of the name:
Cerkiew Ofiarowania Najświętszej Marii Panny

Lipovets (another name of Lipovice) is a village located about 10 km northeast of Drohobych. Historical references mention the ownership of this estate by the Yaksmanicky family in the 16th and 17th centuries. Originally, it was such a small administrative unit that it did not have its own separate parish, being subordinate to the church in Rychcice. The first significant religious building came into being in the early 20th century, when Jan Count Tarnowski built a wooden church served by priests from the aforementioned Rychcice or Sambor.

A brick building was erected between 1912 and 1914, architecturally reminiscent of the Orthodox church in Wroblewice. A temporary vicarage, utility facilities and a shelter run by the Sisters of the Servant Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Stara Wieś were also built. Lipovec thus temporarily had two churches, although the new one was not yet ready for use. During the First World War, it was this new unfinished and unequipped church that was hit by twelve shells. The roof, walls and belfry were destroyed.

After the war, repairs were carried out on both the 'old' and the new building. A new brick rectory and Catholic house were also erected. In the early 1920s, the brick building was consecrated and the wooden building was moved to Wacowice.

A parish was established in Lipovec, which finally gained the status of permanent and non-removable in the second half of the 1930s. The first parish priest was Father Tomasz Sapyta. The new parish embraced not only Lipovec itself, but also Raków, Bojary, Słońsko and Wróblewice.

Unfortunately, the Second World War came a short while later. Although the building itself was not particularly damaged, after the conflict and the geographical and political changes, the last local parish priest, Father Franciszek Bardzik, left for Poland, taking some of the equipment with him. The parish was also abandoned by the nuns, moving to Stara Wieś. The building was closed and turned into a school warehouse. When Ukraine regained its independence, the building was taken over by Greek Catholics and consecrated as an Orthodox church in 1992. Nowadays, the building has been rebuilt according to the architecture of Eastern churches. It is noteworthy, however, that it has not been devastated in terms of interference with its mass and main features. Perhaps this is related to the fact that the Rococo style corresponded to the Orthodox aesthetics. Or perhaps the original idea that the original building was to be built on the model of the Orthodox church in Wroblewice resonated strongly enough on an aesthetic level?

Architecture
The church is located on the edge of the village. It is surrounded by an intimately landscaped area with sparse, low-rise buildings. The building stands on a separate square enclosed by a mesh fence. The overall style of the building can be described as a discreet reference to the late Rococo. The body of the building consists of a three-bay nave and a much narrower and lower presbytery, closed with a trilateral arch. There are extensions on the sides of the chancel. The church was built of brick on a stone foundation and plastered. The external facades are surrounded by a plinth and a profiled cornice. The single-storey façade consists of three axes and attracts attention with its raised gable. The central part is framed by a rectangular frame topped by a triangular abutment. The gable is closed with an overhanging arch and finished with four ornamental vases and a cross. Its central part is a segmental window.

The other facades of the building have simple frame divisions. On the opposite side to the façade is a triangular nave gable with three small round windows. The nave is topped by a gable roof and the chancel by a multi-pitched roof. Pulpit roofs are used over the annexes. All are covered with sheet metal. At the east end of the nave (i.e. opposite the façade) is a turret with an arcaded lantern.

The interior is particularly noteworthy for the articulation of the nave's interior, which was carried out with lisens, or simply put, pilaster-style decoration and reinforcements, but without a base and without a head. The chancel was covered with a cross vault. The rainbow arcade (the arch separating the nave section from the chancel) has a semicircular design.

The building is dominated by rectangular windows closed with a semicircle. However, they differ in size. For example, the chancel on the east side is illuminated by a large window opening, with smaller ones on the sides. In the nave, the windows are placed high, almost under the cornice. The entrance openings on the front and sacristy sides are rectangular and closed with a segmental arch. The choir, built into the west bay of the nave (i.e. closer to the façade), is accessible via a staircase.

Related persons:
Time of origin:
1914
Bibliography:
  • Światosław Lenartowicz „Kościół parafialny pw. św. Anny w Lipowcu.” W: „Materiały do dziejów sztuki sakralnej na ziemiach wschodnich dawnej Rzeczypospolitej. Cz. 1: Kościoły i klasztory rzymskokatolickie dawnego województwa ruskiego T. 6.” Kraków: Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury w Krakowie, 1998, 115-120.
Publikacja:
19.07.2024
Ostatnia aktualizacja:
19.07.2024
Author:
Michał Dziadosz
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