The Ukrainian nation is one, because no matter what trials befall the fate of the Ukrainian people, we are proud of our history and rich culture. Remember, when we know the history of the past, then we build a happy future. We continue our journey through Yavorivshchyna in our regular column “Heritage through the pages of the past”.
Today we will familiarize ourselves with the historical architectural monument of the mid-40s of the 17th century. – The church of Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles in the city of Yavoriv” – adds Yaroslav Kominsky. The year 1376 is the date of the first written mention of the settlement of Yavoriv, which received Magdeburg rights in 1569. The Roman Catholic parish was established here in 1454 with the financial assistance of the Ottawa and Ratibor Prince Vaclav.
The first wooden church bore the title of Assumption of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and St. Barbara. In 1648, the local church was partially damaged by rebelling peasants. From the protocol of the visitation of Archbishop Mykola Vyzhytskyi for 1741, we learn that the new wooden temple was built by King Jan III Sobieski. Over time, the old wooden shrine was dismantled, and the parish was moved to the wooden Dominican church of St.. Apostles Peter and Paul and St. Yatsk, which was consecrated in 1621 by the assistant bishop of Lviv Tomas Piravskyi.
And the modern brick church was built at the expense of Pylyp Rykovsky in the mid-40s of the 17th century. It was consecrated in 1682 by the Bishop of Kholm, Jacek Sventsytskyi.” The exact date of construction of the Roman Catholic shrine in Yavorov is given by another source: “The existing masonry was built in 1645 with the funds left in the will of Peter Rykovsky. Built of brick.
It consists of a rectangular nave and a narrower faceted altar. At the beginning of the 19th century, a three-tiered, square tower was added to the prominent facade, completed by a triangular front with obelisks on the sides. The church is covered with gable roofs. Under the altar there are two crypts, in one of which the founder of the church, P. Rykovsky, is buried. In 1786, the Austrian authorities closed the Dominican monastery, and the church was handed over to the parish. In 1807, the temple was repaired and a low tower with a front was added. In 1874, the external repair of the temple took place, and in 1913, electric lighting was carried out. In 1945, Yavoriv parish priest Fr. Boleslav Golub left for Poland, the Soviet authorities closed the church, placing a factory warehouse in it. Only in 1889-1990, the temple was returned to the faithful.
The memorable event took place on October 2, 1989. That day, in the presence of the assistant bishop from Przemyśl, Stefan Moskva, the doors of the Yavoriv church were opened again after a long break. The parishioners actively took up the revival of their shrine.
In 2003, a memorial tablet to Jan III Sobieski was installed in the church on the occasion of the 320th anniversary of the victory of the united forces of Europe over the Turkish army near Vienna. In 2012, a monument to Pope John Paul II was solemnly opened and consecrated in the courtyard near the shrine. Since 2014, the Order of Saint Dorothy has been working at the church, which takes care of orphans and children from low-income families.