Basilica of the Exaltation of the Cross (Chernivtsi)
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The Exaltation Basilica is a Roman Catholic church in Chernivtsi , Ukraine . It is dedicated to the Exaltation of the Cross and has the status of a minor basilica . The church was the first stone building in the city.
history
In 1774 Chernivtsi was occupied by Austria, like all of Bukovina. In 1778 the construction of the first church in Chernivtsi was completed, which became the forerunner of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross. The wooden church with a tower was on the square opposite the present church. At the behest of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II , the construction of the new stone church began in 1787 during his stay in Chernivtsi, which took 27 years to build. Due to construction and planning deficiencies, the tower collapsed twice. The old wooden church was given to the Protestants. A cross with a stucco representation of the Virgin Mary was erected on the square and stood there until 1950. The construction work was not completed until 1814. At that time Chernivtsi had 5,400 inhabitants. On July 29, 1814 the solemn consecration of the new Church of the Exaltation of the Cross took place. A throne was built in the church especially for the Austrian emperor, on which he sat during the service. During his visit to Chernivtsi he met the Russian Tsar Alexander I in the church .
Initially, the church was also used for services by Greek Catholic believers and Armenian Catholics until they had their own place of worship. For a long time the Catholic Church with its high spire was the architectural dominant feature of Chernivtsi. The tower itself served as an observation post for the timely detection of fires. In 1818 a clock was installed on the church tower. In 1861 the church burned for unknown reasons, especially the entrance part. In 1866 the church was rebuilt. An organ was also installed at this time , which received two medals in the 1870s: one in Vienna and the other in Paris, for the best timbre in all of Europe.
In 1910, 23,000 Catholics lived in Chernivtsi, 27% of the total population. After World War II , when most of the Germans and Poles left Bucovina , only 2,000 Catholics remained in the city. Even so, there was community life during the Soviet era, which allowed the interior to be preserved. Today the church serves both the Ukrainian and Polish communities.
On July 19, 2014, Pope Francis gave the church the rank of minor basilica .
Church building
The church was built in the style of a Jesuit church. The model was a church in Rome. This style is characterized by expressive painting, sculptures and paintings. The frescoes on the walls and ceilings are filled with stylized floral motifs that symbolize the tree of life. There are seven neo-Gothic altars in the church. The church furnishings also include items that came here after other religious buildings were closed in the Soviet era. In particular, in 1963 the sculptures of saints, icons, liturgical books and confessionals were transferred from the Jesuit Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross. On the side wall of the church are the oldest sundials in western Ukraine.
Web links
- The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on aeroluxe.com.ua (Ukrainian)
Individual evidence
- ^ Basilica of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Марія Никирса. Чернівці. Документальні нариси з історії вулиць і площ.- Чернівці: Золоті литаври, 2008.- 452 с.
- ^ Meyers Konversations-Lexikon , 5th edition, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig and Vienna 1895, 4th volume, p. 459 f.
Coordinates: 48 ° 17 ′ 40 ″ N , 25 ° 56 ′ 11 ″ E