Historical outline

The village is situated less than 14 km from the border crossing with Poland, on the road leading from Kroscienko-Smolnica to Sambor. The earliest mention of Chyrów dates back to the 14th century, when the village was part of nine others granted by Prince Władysław Opolczyk to the brothers Herbor and Frydrusz. In the following century the estate was ruled by the Tarlow family. During their reign the village became a town. Andrzej Tarło also founded a parish and the first wooden church, built around 1531, which functioned until the fire in the 17th century. Afterwards, Chyrów became the property of the Mnisz family, who initiated the construction of a small brick church (to replace the old one), which was the nucleus of the present-day building. Over the centuries, the church was enlarged and enriched, until it took on its final form, which still exists today. The brick building has been through a lot over the centuries. One of the most significant and important events was a huge fire, which occurred in the 19th century, when Chyrivka belonged to the Topolnicky family, and which was followed by a major renovation, giving the temple new life and a full, contemporary shape.

As Jan K. Ostrowski writes in his study, until the early 19th century the village was one of the smallest and poorest in the Przemyśl region. Its heyday came in the second half of the century, which was linked to the establishment of a railway junction and a Jesuit educational institution in neighbouring Bąkowice.

The consecration of the renovated and enlarged sacred building took place in 1903. The following decades were associated with further modernisations. During the First World War, despite the heavy fighting that took place in the town, the church did not suffer any damage. The Austrian authorities did seize the bells, but the church was not seriously damaged.

In 1941, the roof on the church suffered damage, but was repaired in late 1943 and early 1944. In 1945, most of the Polish inhabitants left Chyrów and the building was excluded from religious use. The Soviets turned it into a warehouse, and in the early 1970s added a wing to house a music school. In later years it was used as a community centre, but also as a wedding house. This state of affairs lasted for a very long time, until at least the end of the 20th century.

Despite many difficulties, the Roman Catholic community finally regained the building in 2010, at which time the reconecration took place. Extensive renovations were carried out, which were completed in 2023, when the already restored building was consecrated again. Today, the church is once again operating under the name of St Lawrence. It is served by priests from the parish of St Michael the Archangel in Stara Sol.

Architecture

The brick and plastered building is located in the centre of the town. It consists of an elongated nave to the west, preceded by a vestibule, and a rectangular, semicircular closed presbytery, which faces east and thus towards the implicitly located Jerusalem. Adjacent to the altar part is the sacristy with an irregular plan close to a trapezoid. This part, through a narrow vestibule, communicates with the square Chapel of the Heart of Jesus.

From the front, the attention is drawn to the three-axis façade closed with a cornice, which turns into a tower on a square plan. The corners are framed by multiplied lisens. In the original design, there were circular windows at the bottom, today converted into rectangular windows with a semicircular closure. Analogous window openings are found almost throughout the building. Nowadays, oculus windows only appear in the semicircles supporting the tower and in the gable of the presbytery. Apart from the façade, the massing of the building and the articulation of the external elevations is quite simple. The roof on the church is gabled.

The rainbow arcade has a semicircular design. The altar area has barrel vaults with lunettes. The vestibule is covered with a barrel vault and the nave with a ceiling.

According to Jan K. Ostrowski, some of the surviving furnishings were kept in a makeshift chapel in a private house in Chyrów (the painting of the Virgin Mary with Child, the sculptures Christ Crucified - Processional Cross and Christ in the Tomb, two chalices and two chasubles). The other sculptures were in the attic of the church in Sąsiadowice, and the feretron in the church in Dobromil. At present, there is no information as to which of the objects ended up in the renovated church.

Name: Parish Church of St. Lawrence in Chyrów

Current name: Same as above.

Section: Architecture

Location: Ukraine, district: Lviv, town: Khyriv

Author: Unknown

Date of construction: Origin of the object: second half of the 17th century, Consecration after expansion and extensive renovation: 1903 /Reconsecration of recovered and renovated object: 2023 r.

Technical data: Brick building