Vul. Virmenska, 7 – St. Christopher column ID: 115

The column representing the patron saint of the Armenians appeared in the Armenian quarter of Lviv in 1726, when the reconstruction of the Armenian cathedral was completed. The initiator of the installation was Krzysztof Augustynowicz.

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Krzysztof (Christophorus) Augustynowicz, a judge and the head of the Armenian Collegium in Lviv, the brother of Archbishop Jan Tobiasz Augustynowicz, was the sponsor of the reconstruction of the Armenian church in 1723. Along with the completion of the construction works, he initiated the installation of a column with a statue of St. Christopher.

The white stone figure of the saint is placed on a high Corinthian order column. There was the following inscription on the pedestal: "D. O. M. Ecclesiam hanc majorem ejusdem gloriae Dei sanctissimaeque Deiparae honori restauravit, residentiam commoditati cleri innovavit, columnam tutelari sue funditus erexit nobilis et magnificus Christophorus Augustynowicz director et judex nat. arm. Leopol. Anno aerae Christianae MDCCXXVI" (Barącz, 1856, 41-42).

The probable author of the sculpture is Christian Seyner, a court sculptor of the princes Wiszniowieckis (Biriulow, 2007, 12). The sculpture stylistics has both Baroque and Neoclassicist features.

In 2016 the column was restored in the course of the yard rearrangement.

Related buildings and spaces

Vul. Virmenska, 7 – The bell tower of the Armenian Cathedral
The bell tower is an integral part of the Armenian Cathedral ensemble. It is built onto the former palace of the Armenian Archbishops. It bears stylistic features of the Renaissance and Baroque styles. The main construction dates are 1571 (the architect P. Krasowski), 1778 (reconstruction) and the beginning of the nineteenth century (completion of the upper part).

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Vul. Virmenska, 7 – The Armenian Cathedral
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In the architecture of the Armenian Cathedral of Lviv, the traditional forms borrowed from Armenia (the composition of the central building is modeled after the temple in Ani) are combined with Renaissance motives (the nave and the archway), Baroque elements (the sculpture on the exterior) and Revival features (the façade from Krakivska Street). The cathedral was built in the northern part of old Lviv, in the Armenian section. It is the main component of the architectural ensemble of Virmenska Street. The chronicle of construction, that stretched over hundreds of years, includes several periods: 1356-1363 (by the architect Doring with the participation of local masters), the fifteenth century (side apses), 1437 (erection of the archway), 1630 (the nave by the architect A. Kellar), 1723-1726 (interior remodeling), 1908 (façade from Krakivska Street by the architect Ph. Mączyński), 1908-1920 (restoration) and 1925 (restoration).

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