Lvov - Tourist Guide » Ivan Franko

Stauropegia Fraternity

admin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:01:44 +0000

As I wrote before the Church of the Assumption was ruled by the Stauropegia Fraternity, one of the strongest and most influencial Orthodox communities. It emerged on the basis of guilds and had many merchants and craftsmen among its members. First mentioned in 1439, in the 16th and 17th centuries this Fraternity was already given the privilege of a Stauropegion (it was not under the jurisdiction of the local bishops and received orders only from the Holy Patriarch in Constantinople). It became the ideological and religious center of Orthodox Lvov and the entire Western Ukraine. It also carried on enlightenment work: in 1586 it set up a school of “seven free sciences” for Ukrainians, a hospital and a printing house. Not far from the Church – in Blyakharskaya Street now renamed to Ivan Fyodorov Street (Ulitsa Ivana Fyodorova) until the 19th century there was the house of Bildaga, a middle class merchant whose house was used by Ivan Fyodorov for his second printing shop.

High Castle – its’ Sundown

admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:40:05 +0000

As I wrote yestarday, on october 14th Maxim Krivonos seized Castle Hill. This event has been commemorated by stone monument erected in the Park; the street leading to the summit of the hill has been named after Krivonos.
The Castle lost its glory as an impregnable fortress. In 1672 Castle Hill fell into the hands of the Turks. By the beginning of the 18th century the High Castle was falling into decay and could no longer serve as a stronghold. Carl XII, King of the Swedes, seized it without difficulty. A few decades later only a heap of ruins remained of the Castle. The Austrians handed it over to the city as a quarry. Today there still exists a house that was built of stones from former castle walls.
Much later the Hill was planted with trees and a park (currently named Ivan Franko) laid out.

Fights For High Castle

admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 23:30:00 +0000

As I wrote earlier today, there were many attempts to seize the Castle Hill and all of them faild until 1648 when entire Ukraine was enveloped in a national war. As the battlefield extended to Galicia the Ukrainian peasant and the urban poor lookedupon the Cossacks as their saviours who would put an end to national and social oppression. The people of Lvov had high hopes: they prepared arms, ready to come out against the Polish nobility (szlachta), to chase out the vicegerent and the Polish army. When Khmelnitsy marched into Lvov they helped him to gain hold of the Glinyansky Szlach, to seize the Churches of Saint Lazarus and Saint Mary, the Church of Saint George and the estate of the Jesuits (the present Ivan Franko Park).

Towards the end of September 1648, Khmelntsky’s troops besieged the garrison of the High Castle. Numerous attacks on the fort were beaten back. Finally, on October 14th a detachment under “first colonel” Maxim Krivonos – one of the Hetman’s bravest followers – with a following of Ukrainians, Moldavians and the valiant Don Cossacks seized the Castle.

Cossacs

Ivan Franko (1856-1916)