Sobor Svyatoho Yura (St. George’s Cathedral) Lviv
1744-70. A classic example of Ukrainian Baroque architecture and the main church of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. Construction was begun in 1774; after the death of the original architect B. Meretyn, construction work was supervised by S. Fessinger (until 1764). Decorative work was completed in 1772. The cathedral contains sculptures by Pinzel, S. Fessinger, and M. Filevych and paintings by the artists L. Dolynsky and Yu. Radyvylivsky.
Located opposite the cathedral are the Metropolitan’s Palace (1772; architect: K. Fessinger), encircled by several 19th cent. buildings and a barriers with two gates (1765). In the courtyard is the bell tower built in 1865. In 1946 the church was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church and in 1990 it reverted to the Ukrainian Catholic faithful. Here, in April 1991, the Ukrainian Catholics welcomed Cardinal Myroslav Lyubachivsky, the head of the Church. In August and September 1992 special commemorative Masses were celebrated in honor of Patriarch Yosyf Slipyj (1892-1984). His remains were re-buried alongside Metropolitans Andrey Sheptytsky (1805-1944) and Sylvestr Sembratovych (1836-98).
In 1998, St. George's Cathedral, together with the historic center of Lviv was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
