Historical outline

Biskovice is situated in western Ukraine, in the Lviv region, in the Sambork region. The oldest mention of the village dates back to 1375.

Initially, the village fell under the parish of Sambor. However, by the end of the 18th century, it had become one of the largest villages in the region, mostly inhabited by Polish Roman Catholics. It was then that the idea of establishing an independent parish on the site was born. It was further strengthened by a wider plan related to the comprehensive expansion of the parish network in the Przemyśl diocese, initiated by Bishop Antoni Wacław Betański. Unfortunately, this concept did not come to fruition due to a lack of adequate financial resources.

The idea of an independent pastoral unit and a fully-fledged church building in the Biskowice area was revived at the end of the 19th century. A few years later, a broader plan was launched to expand the network of parishes in the region, similar to the idea of over a century ago. The building was ready in 1907 and an outpost was established in the village in 1913.

In 1915, the Austrian army requisitioned the bells. New bells were not procured until 1919-1924. In preparation for the establishment of a fully-fledged parish, the building was also extensively renovated. Further work took place in the 1930s, including repairs to the damage caused by a storm that tore the roof off in 1930.

Despite historic changes, the parish church continued to function until the mid-1950s. However, between 1956 and 1958, most of the Polish inhabitants were displaced and the church was closed. Some of the furnishings managed to be saved. Unfortunately, its final fate, is not known. The Polish families who stayed behind led to the re-establishment of a Roman Catholic parish in 1990.

Architecture

The building is located in the centre of the village, on a small hill, in the immediate vicinity of the Orthodox church. The church is set on a stone plinth and built of brick. It was built on a cruciform ground plan with a three-bay nave and a slightly narrower and lower altar part, which was closed trilaterally and oriented to the south-east. To the sides of the chancel are rectangular annexes housing the sacristy and the treasury. A rectangular vestibule adjoins the north-west elevation of the building.

The articulation of the external walls was carried out with lisens, supported on a low plinth. From above, they carry the pseudo-bellows. The gable of the north-west elevation of the nave features a conch niche. Above it is a circular window. The entrance to the building is located in the front wall of the vestibule. It is framed by Tuscan pilasters. There are gabled roofs over all parts, except the apse. The latter module was covered by a multi-pitched roof. Originally all were covered with tiles. Nowadays (except for the apse) the roofs are covered with tile.

The walls of the altar area have no articulation. The rainbow arcade is accentuated by a prominent moulding. Tuscan pilasters are used in the walls of the nave. The presbytery is covered with sagittarius vaults, which are separated by wide gourds. In the nave there are collector vaults with lunettes on the garths. The other parts use collector vaults. Today all the vaults are concrete. The building is dominated by rectangular windows, closed with a semicircle. Rectangular windows were used in the annexes.

The choir was built into the first bay of the nave and supported by two square pillars and two wall pillars. A semicircular arcade was spanned between them.

In his study of the building, Piotr Krasny describes its condition as good. The restoration work carried out in the 1990s did not involve major changes to the structure of the building. The exceptions are the concrete vaults applied in place of the original pseudo-wood vaults. However, the author draws attention to the transformation of the 18th-century structure of the main altar which took place in the 1930s and describes it as unsuccessful.

Name: Parish Church of St John the Baptist in Biskowice

Current name: Same as above.

Section: Architecture

Location: Ukraine, District: Samborsk region, Town: Biskovice

Author: Unknown

Date of construction: 1907/consecration 1913.

Technical data: Brick object, plastered