Historical outline

Krynica Szlachecka is situated about 27 km northeast of Drohobych. It is known that in 1402 it was granted to the Wallachian Szander, who was the progenitor of the Krynicki family of the 'Sas' coat of arms. In 1589 the village was under the ownership of the Krynicki and Ostrowski families. Over the years, the Zaleski, Komorowski and Mukacz families were also among the owners.

For many centuries, Krynica did not have its own parish. It was subordinate to the church in Medenice. However, in 1912, the Krynickis ceded ¼ morga of land to build a chapel.

A year later, however, there were problems and activities were suspended for a long time. It is known that in 1920 the chapel functioned as a separate space in a government building called the "engineer's house". Mass was celebrated there once a month.

At the beginning of the next decade, the idea of a fully-fledged church building was revived. This time, however, it was to be a real church. In addition, the idea was to emphasise its Polish character by decorating it with the coats of arms of families connected with the area. Rydz-Śmigły himself took patronage of the idea.

The contract was signed in 1937, and the project was designed by Wawrzyniec Dayczak, a Polish architect already known at that time for his many outstanding projects. By the outbreak of the Second World War, the building had been erected almost in its entirety. Unfortunately, after the end of the conflict and the occupation of the area by the USSR, the Soviets arranged a kolkhoz warehouse in the church. In the 1990s, the church was handed over to the Greek Catholics, who carried out a thorough renovation, giving the building features characteristic of the architecture of eastern religious buildings.

Architecture

The church consists of a three-nave, three-bay body in basilica style. The building was built of brick, but with elements of reinforced concrete construction, on concrete foundations. The chancel faces north-west, with rectangular annexes on the sides serving as a vault and sacristy. At the front is a massive tower. On the ground floor of its central part there is a vestibule and on the first floor there is a music choir. Narrow annexes have been added to the sides (on the left a staircase leading to the choir, on the right a storeroom).

The nave is twice as wide as the side aisles. The inter-nave pillars are cruciform in plan. The chancel and the nave have wooden cross vaults, while the side aisles, the porch and the annexes to the chancel have ceilings. Rectangular, semi-circular window openings were used in the nave and on the altar axis. At the front, on the axis of the tower, there is a huge rectangular window, which is closed with a semicircle. In the side aisles and in the sacristy and vault there are circular windows. The entrance openings are rectangular.

From the façade, the most striking feature is the front elevation of the tower, which is further contrasted by lower annexes topped with cornices. All roofs are covered with sheet metal. The turret is also covered with sheet metal, square in plan, with a semicircular opening in the upper part, topped with a tented roof with an iron cross.

The modern appearance of the building is based not only on additions characteristic of the architecture of eastern religious buildings. Elements of the massing have also been altered. These measures have distorted its original style. Where previously sharp geometry played the most important role, domes, typical of Orthodox churches, were introduced, which influenced the original concept of Lawrence Dayczak.