The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Horodenka was built in 1743-1755, as a foundation of Mikolaj Basil Potocki. Its architect was Bernard Meretyn and the author of the sculptural decoration was Jan Jerzy Pinsel. The church in Horodenka is considered to be one of the most valuable monuments of late Baroque architecture in the lands of the historical Republic of Poland.

A monastery of the Congregation of Missionary Fathers adjoins the church from the east. In 1782, as part of the Josephine reforms, the monastery was abolished by the Austrian authorities. Until 1940, its premises housed the Horodenka magistrate's office. During the Soviet occupation, the church was ruined, including the loss of most of the sculptural decoration. After 1945, the monastery buildings housed, among others, barracks, an agricultural mechanisation technical school and a textile factory. After 1991, the devastated church was handed over to the Greek Catholic Church. In recent years, spotty efforts have been made to restore it.

Work to be carried out in 2021

In 2021. POLONIKA Institute has joined in the work concerning the repair of the wooden trusses and the replacement of the roofing over the central section and the extreme north-west wing of the monastery. The task, mainly financed by the Programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage 'Protection of Cultural Heritage Abroad', was also supported by the Institute's own funds. In the course of the work, the contractors preserved, wherever possible, elements of the original rafter framing, especially those fragments with carpentry marks. Original clay tiles preserved in the building were used as roofing.

Executed by: Partnership for East-Central Europe Foundation

Conservation work carried out in 2021, Conservation Programme, Polonica Institute