Orthodox Church in Lviv
2805-SHP-LWO.UA-2019
Architects: Shvets & Partners, m+a, SOBBROBURO
Clients: Lviv City Goverment, Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Status: Competition (2019)
Location: lviv, Ukraine
Coordinates: 49.834268, 24.045984
Climate: Continental, Temperate
Material: Brick
Environment: Park
Visualizer: Studio
Scale: 272 ㎡ Small
Types: Church, Religious

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has its history dating back to the Baptism of Kyivan Rus in 988 and intends to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The new church building inherits the foundations of traditional Byzantine temple building and applies a new approach – the main purpose of which is to make it possible to establish a connection between: man and God, man and nature.

The plot is located on a hill covered with trees in the historic area of the city. Due to its delicate presence in space, the building communicates with nature and does not disturb the route of a small forest path that passes through the top of the hill. The dome of the temple is lower than the tops of the trees, and the high bell tower rises above the forest and communicates with its older sisters throughout the city and joins the collection of symbolic landmarks of the city.

Respect for topography is also part of the architectural strategy. The program of the building is located on the southern slope of the hill, where the temple is located on the upper level, and on the lower level is a Sunday school with technical facilities.

The truncated shape of the main entrance to the building is a reaction to the existing path and is a polite act of invitation to the temple.

Inside the church, the ratio of closed and open is inherent in the classical expectations of the Orthodox Church. At the same time, the new spatial structure allows faith to play a central role.

The heredity of architectural elements and materials intends to establish a subtle but dynamic connection with history.

Arches, vaults, openings become part of the tectonics of the building, and the brick facade of «Plinth» – a wide and flat baked slab, which was used in construction in Byzantium and Kievan Rus temple architecture – allows the building to be out of time.

In this way, the new church building tells a thousand-year history in modern language and provides an opportunity to meet the needs of the faith.

Team: Danylo Shvets, Dmytro Matviishyn, Viktor Sobchuk | Consultant: priest Mykhailo Yushchyshyn | Post date: 06/04/2021 | Views: 2.450