Church of St. Anne, Boryslav

TheChurch of St. Anne (formerly the parish Roman Catholic Church of St. Barbara) is a Greek Catholic church in Boryslav. It is located at 45a Volodymyr Velykyi Street. The Church of St. Anne is one of the architectural monuments of local importance. The church was dedicated in 1902 in honor of St. Barbara (Barbara), the patron saint of miners (there were many mines in Boryslav and its surroundings where many people died of sudden death). The author of the project was the architect Stanisław Majerski. The church building, built in the shape of a Latin cross, is characteristic of the Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romanesque styles. This church, like many other churches of this period, was built by itinerant craftsmen of the construction shop at the expense of parishioners and oil industrialists. It was painted by craftsmen under the guidance of a traditional church artist from Krakow, Antoni Protsailovych.

The parish Roman Catholic Church of St. Barbara was built in 1902 at the expense of parishioners and mine owners. It was dedicated on 04.12.1902. The architect is Stanislav Mayerskyi. The temple is made of brick with the use of natural stone, characteristic of the Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romanesque styles. This temple, like other churches of this period, was built by itinerant craftsmen of the construction shop, as evidenced by the shop emblem embedded in the temple's pediment:

It is a carved stone shield depicting four construction and drawing instruments arranged on top of each other: a compass, a triangle, a square, and a ruler. Nearby we can see a shield depicting the coat of arms (sign) of miners, crossed by a hammer and a short kailo (pickaxe). These two symbols (coat of arms) were also depicted on the central (main) altar (throne) and on the stained glass windows in the church.

This indicates that this church was mainly built at the expense of Boryslav oil industry workers. The church was built using natural stone, in the form of a Latin cross, and is oriented along the Northeast-West axis. It is 36.1 m long, 19.25 m wide, and 47 m high with the cross. The foundation and plinth are made of hewn stone 1.25 meters high. The church is decorated with large windows with stained glass figures. In the main altar there is an image of St. Barbara by the famous artist and sculptor A. Popel (1865-1910), one of his famous works is a monument to A. Mickiewicz in Lviv. On May 29, 1907, the exposition of the church on Volianka was appointed by ks. Wojciech (Adalbert) Karas (04.04.1871-04.07.1931) was appointed as the church's curate. He took an active part in the improvement of the newly built church. Thanks to cf. V. Karas, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Barbara became one of the best churches in Drohobych. In 1930-31, the church was painted by masters under the direction of a traditional church artist from Krakow, Antoni Protsailovych. In 1931 the church was restored.

From 20.08.1946 to the end of 1963 it was used as an Orthodox church. In 1963, the local authorities decided to close one church in Boryslav. This choice fell on St. Anne's Church, although the financial and economic condition of this parish was excellent (all taxes were paid, and the cash register had a residual amount of 4000 rubles, which was later used to pay the taxes of the Tustanets church).

St. Anne's Church was closed without any official document. The parishioners did not hand over the keys to the church for some time, and on September 12, 1963, the authorities installed a padlock on the door. After that, the parishioners of Volianka belonged to other parishes of Boryslav (Hubychi, Potik, Tustanovychi). For almost six years, people have been trying to open the church of St. Anne in Volianka, writing numerous petitions, pounding the doorsteps of government agencies both in Ukraine and in Moscow, but all this was to no avail. The higher authorities explained that the church had been closed by the local authorities and that it was their responsibility to reopen it.

The church furnishings of the church-the main altar, pews, and other items-were taken to the cemetery in Tustanovych to the Church of St. Nicholas. After the closure of St. Anne's Church in Volianka, a salt warehouse belonging to the Zmishtorg was placed there. The main purpose of this was to destroy the church. In 1968, the city authorities ordered the former church to be converted into a furniture store, which was located in the church on Volianka until 1983. After 1983, to strengthen atheistic propaganda and for some municipal and sanitary reasons, the city authorities decided to open a so-called House of Public Memorial Services in the church.

In the mid-1980s, the city authorities were preparing to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Boryslav. Among a number of events that were proposed for the celebration was the creation and opening of a city museum of local lore in the church. Such a difficult fate befell the former St. Anne's Church during the period of great communist ruin and religious stagnation and desecration. After its closure, it became a salt warehouse, a furniture store, a funeral home, and a local history museum.

On 22.12.1988, a group of Volianka residents appealed to the local authorities to open a church in Volianka. On 14.04.1989, the long-term efforts of the residents of Boryslav-Volianka to get the church of St. Anne opened were realized. On this day, a decision was made to register a religious community in Boryslav. It was probably at that time that the parishioners of the initiative group became aware of this. However, as mentioned above, the parishioners actively began to create the executive bodies of the religious community of St. Anne. From the protocol No. 1 of 15.04.1989, we learn that a parish meeting was held in the church of St. Anne on V. Velykyi Street, Boryslav, in the presence of 250 people. The church was completely neglected. The beautiful stained glass windows were broken. Nothing remained of the former church property. The parishioners actively began to repair the church. The religious community of St. Anne's Church applied to the executive committee of the Boryslav City Council for official permission to carry out emergency repairs. The parishioners announced a fundraiser for various building materials to repair the church. Residents of Boryslav generously donated money and various building materials, and actively participated in the repair and arrangement of the church. From the materials of the cash book, we learn that the first baptism in the newly opened St. Anne's Church took place on July 9, 1989, and by the end of September 13 children were baptized; the first funeral took place on August 4, 1989, and by the end of September 11 more funerals were held; the first Divine Liturgy for all forgiveness took place on August 8, 1989, and by the end of September 5 more; the first wedding (marriage) took place in the restored church on August 31, 1989, and by the end of September 4 more weddings took place.

The initial painting of the altar of St. Anne's Church was done by Lviv artist Bohdan Balytskyi and a group of painters, assisted by Boryslav artist Stefan Kindratyshyn. In 1989-1990, they painted the altar of St. Anne's Church, and later completed the work on the church's painting by artist Bohdan Panchyshyn from Mykolaiv (Lviv oblast). In 1989, an iconostasis was commissioned for the church, designed by architect Ivan Melnyk, associate professor at the Lviv Art Academy. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of St. Anne. It was registered on 04.04.1990. Nowadays it is a unique pilgrimage center where the relics of more than 300 saints are kept! They were collected from all over the world by the rector of the church, Father Roman. It is believed that the relics of saints can heal from all diseases. Several cases of recovery of incurable patients have been recorded.

Fr. Roman Vasyliv, born on 22.10.1955 in the village of Lysovychi Banya, Stryi district. He graduated from the Leningrad Theological Seminary in 1980 and the Theological Academy in 1984. On 11/21/1989 he was ordained to the priesthood. He served in the villages of: Falysh, Stankiv, Bratkivtsi, Slobidka, Pyla village, Stryi district. He has been living in Boryslav since the spring of 1989. He graduated from the Catholic University of Lublin as an external student in 1995. Doctor of Theology. He was appointed Dean of Boryslav on May 22, 1998. He was awarded a pectoral cross with decorations. Active public and church figure during the revival of the Greek Catholic Church in the Lviv region.

The staff member is catechist Fr. Petro Pidlubnyi, born on 03.06.1968 in the village of Velyki Chornokintsi, Chortkiv district, Ternopil region. In 1995, he graduated from the Ivano-Frankivsk Theological and Catechetical Theological Institute. On 03.03.1996 he was ordained a priest. He served in the parishes of Drohobych. On October 03, 1996, he was appointed as a staff member at St. Anne's Parish in Boryslav. In 2000 he graduated from the Catholic University of Lublin. He is in charge of the Sunday School of Catechism. Master of Theology. He was awarded a pectoral cross and a cassock.

People come for healing. It is believed that the relics relieve diseases. Amazing cases of recovery have been recorded many times. The church is rightly considered a treasure trove of beauty, grace and faith.