Attractions of Lavriv

The Lavriv Monastery of Saint Onuphrius of the Basilian Fathers in Lavrov is the oldest active monastery on the territory of Western Ukraine, one of the main sanctuaries of the Greek Catholics.

According to legend, the monastery was founded in the 13th century by Prince Lavr, whom historians associate with the Grand Duke of Lithuania Voyshelko, who took monastic vows under the name Lavrysh. Prince Lev Danylovych is also considered the founder, since Lavriv is mentioned in 1291 among his possessions (it is believed that the prince was buried in the monastery church, but in the 18th century his ashes were reburied in an unknown place).

The first reliable documentary mention of the monastery itself dates back to 1407. The monastery became one of the main religious centers of the region after the adoption of the union and entry into the order of the Basilian Fathers of the Kyiv Metropolitanate. The main sanctuary is the church of Saint Onuphrius, the altar part of which has been preserved since the 13th century. Subsequently, the temple was rebuilt several times - in the 17th century, after a fire, it was rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style, and during the restoration of 1860-1867, it acquired its current appearance. The frescoes of the 15th century have been preserved.

Moldavian princes Kostyantyn Bassarab and Shtefan Petrycheyku, as well as some Orthodox and Greek-Catholic hierarchs, are buried in the underground crypt-necropolis.

The defensive walls of the monastery date back to the 13th-18th centuries, and the body of monks' cells - 1902-1909. The square bell tower has an archaic appearance.

Between the First and Second World Wars, the Basilian Lyceum operated in the monastery. Since 1994, the monastery again belongs to the monastic order of the Basilians.

A 700-year-old Lev Danylovych oak grows on the territory, under which, according to legend, the prince liked to rest.