The Carmelite Catholic Church and the monastic complex, 18th century. Patrimony number 1153. Monument of national value. Located in: Bilshivtsi, Ivan Franko Street, no. 4.
Initially, in 1624, there was a wooden Catholic church in this place. Later, the church and monastery were fenced with brick walls. During and after the end of the battle of 1655, the wooden church and the monastery were abandoned. In 1717 the construction of a new brick Catholic church began here. Along with the church, the sanctums of the Carmelite monastery were built.
In the 18th-19th centuries, the monastery was one of the largest Catholic centers of culture and education in Galicia. The monks printed books, painted icons, cared for the sick. In addition to the monastery, there was a school where six orphaned girls studied.
The facades of the Catholic church are decorated with numerous bays characteristic of the Baroque style, ornate cornices, patterned vases. Inside, the traces of a rich decoration are preserved, and on the walls, fragments of frescoes from the 18th century can be observed.
In the 19th century, the Carmelite monastery was considered the largest in Galicia, a fact attested in the archival documents from the pre-war period. Icons were painted here, books were printed, the poor and the sick were helped. In the years of the First World War, the front line passed through Bilshivtsi, due to which the monastic complex suffered significant damages.
After the Second World War, the church ceased to fulfill its spiritual function, its rooms being used as a grain depot and pig barn.
In 1990 the church was returned to the Roman Catholic community. Currently, the monastery belongs to the Franciscan order, which deals with the restoration of this monastic ensemble. During the archeological excavations around the sacred edifice were found fragments of pottery from the Tripolye period, flint tools from the Stone Age, as well as relics from the Bronze Age, all of which are very valuable for researchers. Every summer, a large number of Roman Catholic pilgrims gather at the church.
