A monumental 17th-century temple stands out in the townscape of Zhovkva. The uniqueness of the building is determined by the figure of the founder, royal support, impressive architectural form and high-class furnishings presenting a rich patriotic ideological programme.

History of the Collegiate Church
St. Lawrence Church was built from the foundation of Hetman Stanislaw Żółkiewski - the founder and owner of Żółkiew. Architectural plans were prepared before 12 January 1606, as confirmed by the donor's will dated that day. The construction was entrusted to artists from Italy. Most probably, the work was directed by Pavel Zlatsky (called Lucky), and after his death in 1610, Ambrose Przychylny, a builder of Italian origin, connected with the Lvov community, became the main architect. It is possible that Pavel the Roman (a builder who ran a stonemason's workshop and made architectural details, among other things) was also employed on the building. The church was completed in 1618 and consecrated 5 years later. The most important stages in the history of the church were the times when Zhovkva was the property of John III Sobieski - the king's patronage activity covered not only the residence but also the collegiate church located nearby.

Architecture of the temple
The church in Zhovkva is oriented, with a single nave. It was built on the plan of a Latin cross with a two-bay body, straight closed transept arms and a three-sided closed presbytery. At the intersection of the naves is a cupola with a lantern. There are crypts under parts of the choir and transept. The church was built of brick and plastered, while stone was used in the architectural details and decorative parts. The façades are articulated with pairs of Tuscan pilasters, set on a high plinth and bearing a beam. The main decorative element is a triglyph-metopic frieze with reliefs on military themes (panoplies, figures of St George and St Martin, horsemen and battle scenes) and heraldic motifs (including the Żółkiewski coat of arms). The ideological programme associated with a triumphal procession is complemented by sculptures of eagles, which appear on the frieze at the corners of the building and refer to the symbol present in the coat of arms of the Republic. The façade and the gable walls of the transept are enclosed by triangular gables. The front elevation is topped off with a 17th-century statue of St Michael the Archangel, while pinnacles are set on the corners of the building. The lower annexes, including the sacristy, are decorated with a frieze of metopes filled with, among other things, lions' heads.
The collegiate church is covered with cross vaults supported by stone consoles and decorated with stucco (partly gilded). The dome is supported on pendentives with medallions depicting the four Evangelists, and the drum is accentuated with triglyph-metopic friezes. The canopy shows coffers with rosettes.

To the glory of the Republic... Decor and furnishings
The decoration of the St Lawrence Collegiate Church was intended as an apotheosis of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and of the people who surrounded the church with protection - primarily Hetman Żółkiewski and King John III of the Sobieski family. Noteworthy are the most important elements of the furnishings, whose common feature was also the high artistic level, resulting from the involvement of valued artists (among them artists connected with the monarch's court) in the investment.

The main altar, created around 1740, was built on a circular ground plan. The wooden altarpiece has an architectural form, two storeys high, with a high plinth and a rich finial into which an oculus has been integrated. The central niches, decorated with rocaille ornamentation, contain a statue of Christ on the Cross and (in the upper storey) a painting of the church's patron saint, St Lawrence. Both arms of the transept enclose side altars, architectural, marbled, built in the second quarter of the 18th century.

An important aspect of the collegiate church is the presence of sepulchral motifs. In the presbytery, the main altar is flanked by double tombstones of Zofia Danilowiczowa's foundation, uncovered in the 1730s, dedicated to the Żółkiewski family: 1. the Great Hetman of the Crown, Stanislaw, and his son, Jan; 2. Regina Zolkiewska, née Herburt, and Zofia Danilowiczowa, née Zolkiewska. Both monuments were made of red marble. The full-figure sculptures are located in niches on high pedestals, and the monuments are flanked by columns bearing figures of saints. The finials feature heraldic motifs. Particularly interesting are the two tombstones with carvings by longus Andreas Schlüter, commissioned by King Jan III Sobieski in 1692-1693 (mounted 1693-1694). They were made using black Dębnik marble and alabaster - used in the figural and ornamental-decorative parts. The monuments, placed by the pillars of the rainbow arch, commemorate the figures of: 1. Jacob Sobieski (father of the monarch); 2. Stanislav Danilovich. The main tier is set on high pedestals with oval inscription plaques, flanked by pilasters bearing a segmented pediment. Visible in the central part of both monuments are sculptural groups formed by urns set on tumuli, surrounded by symbolic figures and panoplies. It should also be remembered that both tombstones were heavily damaged after 1945 and were reconstructed.

Among the most interesting furnishings were also large-scale battle paintings. Among them was a canvas entitled 'Battle of Klushino', painted by Szymon Boguszewicz at the behest of Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski and displayed on the wall of the presbytery. Opposite, on the other side of the choir, hangs a depiction of the 'Battle of Chocim' by Andreas Stech, executed before 1679. The work was funded by John III Sobieski. The King's will also produced the paintings 'Battle of Vienna' and 'Battle of the Parklands', intended for display in the arms of the transept. These paintings were created in 1693-1694 by Martino Altomonte, an artist of Italian origin who was the king's court painter. The appearance of the church is depicted in the surviving iconography, including Joseph Engerth's 'Interior of the Collegiate Church in Zhovkva' from 1827, showing the view towards the presbytery and the monumental colourful canvases adorning the walls. The paintings were an integral part of the church, deepening the narrative related to patriotism, the triumphs of the Republic and the merits of the founders (the Sobieskis and the Żółkiewski family). In the 1970s, the decoration became impoverished - the paintings, threatened with destruction, were cut out of their frames and placed in museum collections, and in the 21st century they underwent thorough and reliable conservation.

It is worth noting another theme, related to the constant addition to the artistic programme of the church and the presence of wall polychromies. The marbling covering the inner walls, executed by Viotti, dates from 1865-1866. On the eastern walls of the transept, on the other hand, fragments of earlier frescoes - the decoration includes, among other things, motifs of a curtain raised by an angel and a baldachin with a paludament.

The church in question is one of the most important examples of royal and magnate patronage in the Borderlands of the Republic. The rank of the collegiate church in Zhovkva was determined both by the figures of the founders and by the artistic and ideological aspects, thanks to which the building became a monumental mausoleum of the Zhovkva and Sobieski families and a monument to the glory of the fatherland.