Church of the Mother of God of the Scapular, Snyatyn

Sniatyn, Ivano-Frankivska Oblast, Ukraina

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The Church of the Mother of God of the Scapular is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine located in the city of Snyatyn in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is a local architectural monument. It was built in 1721. It is worth noting that the Catholic parish in the city was founded as early as the late 15th to early 16th centuries. The exact date of the establishment of the Church of the Mother of God of the Scapular from Mount Carmel in Snyatyn is unknown due to destroyed documents. The greatest devastation for the city was caused by Tatar hordes, wars, and partitions. The sanctuaries were burned. The existence of the Roman Catholic parish in Snyatyn is "recorded" in 1558.

In 1843, the construction of a brick church began on the site of the burned (possibly wooden) one. The church was rebuilt and consecrated in its current form by the Latin Archbishop of Lviv Lukash Baranetsky in 1857. "The patrons of the church were the owners of the "credit mass" Prota Pototsky, in particular, the owners of estates in the villages of Krasnostavtsi, Toporivtsi, Beleluy, etc. (a total of 20 estates). The well-known writer, publisher, and honorary citizen of the city of Snyatyn Mykhailo Bazhansky wrote about this Roman Catholic sanctuary that "the owner of the Polish church was Prota from the Pototsky family." In 1888, the local pastor Mr. Tomasz Stankowski brought Felician sisters to the parish. They established a shelter for girls and a new chapel near the monastery.

Church of the Mother of God of the Scapular in Snyatyn

During World War I, the church, the rectory, and the economic premises were destroyed. At the advice and assistance of Bishop Boleslaw Twardowski, the pastor Leopold Kaszyński began a thorough reconstruction of the sanctuary.

From 1926 to 1936, two side chapels were built from voluntary donations, the presbytery was extended, windows were modified, the choir was updated and expanded, a new sacristy was built, and the walls were painted. Due to soil subsidence, the bell tower remained unfinished. Several landslides approached the church by 15 m, and in case of repetitions, it threatens to destroy the monument. The foundations of the church are stone. The walls are brick and plastered. The roof is metal. On May 6, 1936, the main altar was consecrated.

After the end of World War II, on May 13, 1946, the city authorities closed the church, taking the keys. On June 1, 1946, the last transport left with the priests, taking with them the revered image of the Mother of God of the Scapular. They stayed in the city of Brzeg Dolny (Poland). To this day, this image connects them with their homeland. The house of God then served as a granary, later for the workers of the RES, and then it housed a forge and the service of the automotive transport column (ATK, where cars were painted). After the ATK, until the community's return, the premises of the temple were used as a children's boarding house.

On November 20, 1990, by the decision of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Executive Committee, the church in terrible condition was returned to the Roman Catholic community of Snyatyn. On May 22, 1993, the church was reopened in Snyatyn. Brothers and sisters of the faith in Christ came to the opening and consecration of the church. They were welcomed and the Holy Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop of Lviv Marian Jaworski, with the assistance of the Snyatyn Dean Viktor Antoniuk. Archbishop Tadeusz Wojciechowski, a professor from Krakow and the pastor of the church until 1946, was very happy at this moment.

Interior of the Snyatyn Church of the Mother of God of the Scapular

Faithful of the Roman Catholic Church (former residents of Snyatyn) from 14 cities in Poland, mainly from Krakow, Wroclaw, and Olawa, came to the opening of the church. Thanks to the efforts of Dean Viktor Antoniuk and the parishioners, restoration work on the church began. Priests Jan Radon, Jan Oliynyk, and Oleksandr Shcherbatyi continued the restoration work, which continues to this day.

In 1995, a copy of the image of the Mother of God, taken to Poland, returned to Snyatyn. The restoration of the sanctuary and the adjacent territory is still ongoing. The parish is served by the missionaries (the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Vincent de Paul), and there are also charity sisters from the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. On May 27, 2018, Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki proclaimed the local church a sanctuary of Blessed Marta Wiecka, who worked as a nurse in Snyatyn, sacrificially died here, was buried in the local cemetery, and was beatified on May 24, 2008, in Lviv.

The type of the church building is a basilica, as evidenced by its rectangular layout and the presence of a single nave. The church is built of brick and externally clad with a special covering. A small chapel is attached to the right side of the church. Currently, the church in Snyatyn is open for visits. The building is in good condition and is a local architectural monument. The church in Snyatyn, as before, belongs to the Roman Catholic Church.

It is also worth visiting the Church of St. John in Kukilnyky, the Assumption Church in the village of Lysets, and the Church of St. Francis in Delyatyn.