St. Mark's Church, Varyazh
St. Mark's Church is a rather little-known early Baroque building in the village of Varyazhi, Sokal district, Lviv region (Ukraine), built in 1688-1693. It is included in the register of architectural monuments of national importance under the protection number 495. However, it is an architectural monument of national significance, listed in the register under the number 495. Over the course of its long history, the church has lost its former beauty and luxury, and today it is in disrepair, but it still impresses with its grandeur and monumentality.
The monument of Ukrainian architecture was designed by architect Wojciech Lenartowicz. The construction of the church was initiated by Polish industrialist and local tycoon Marek Matchynski, who was later buried in the church. He allocated funds for the construction of a brick church decorated with side two-tiered towers. In 1693, he founded the building in Varyazh with his own portrait.
The church is made of brick, plastered, with two side towers. The towers are in two tiers, decorated with pilasters, and have baroque roofs. In 1796, the church was damaged by fire and the roofs of the towers were rebuilt with much lower heights. The construction of the church is made of rectangular volumes decreasing in height towards the apse. The apse is rectangular and the smallest in height, with its own triangular pediment. There are four architectural volumes. Each of the architectural volumes has its own baroque pediment. The nave of the church has a cylindrical vault, and the apse has a cross vault. The ceiling of the nave is covered with the remains of murals from the 2nd half of the XVIII century.
Fragments of frescoes made by Stanisław Stroinski in 1810 have survived on the walls of the church to this day. In 1983, the tin was removed from the roof, which later caused the vaults to collapse.
The church is one of the most interesting monuments of the Baroque style, but it is in a state of disrepair.
Today, St. Mark's Church is in desolation. In the central part of the church you can see the basement, where the crypt where the burials of noble people and political figures of the time took place. According to a local legend, the church could be reached from the surrounding village through an underground passage.
The village of Varyazh was founded almost on the border of Ukraine and Poland. You can get to Varyazh by shuttle buses that depart from Lviv or Sokal. The nearest town is Chervonohrad, where there are also regular buses to the village.
