Abstract
With the opening of the former Jesuit church in December 2011, which received a new status of the city’s Garrison Temple, there was a need to study its cultural heritage. Apparently, at the time when the building served as a repository of the Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv, access for researchers was limited. This fact can explain the lack of research in Ukrainian and the relatively small number of studies in Polish historiography. At the same time, the process of revitalization of the temple makes important the issues of cultural and historical studies, which should primarily help in the restoration work. Considering the fact that the temple still has some elements of the chapel of St. Benedict, among which is the entrance portal and several other elements that need to be restored, the study of this sacred place becomes relevant. It should be noted that the construction of this chapel took place in parallel with the restoration of the temple itself after the fire of 1734. Accordingly, architecturally, culturally, and religiously, the chapel became an integral part of the idea of restoring the temple itself. The emergence of the relics of St. Benedict, which were presented by Pope Jerzy Stanisław Dzieduszycki, in Lviv Jesuit church testified to many important at that time things. First of all, that fact emphasized the status of the disciples of local Jesuits, among which was Jerzy Stanisław. In addition, the relics presented by the Pope had a certain religious status. It was believed that St. Benedict was the patron saint helping to combat diseases, and the Pope even granted permission of giving absolution on St. Benedict’s Day. Correspondingly, with the appearance of the chapel with the relics of the saint, the Jesuit temple became a place of giving absolution, which raised its status. In addition, the generous donations that followed the foundation of the chapel obviously had a positive effect on the financial situation of the Society of Jesus in Lviv. Thus, the construction of the chapel made necessary, as of the middle of the 18th century, and positive influence on the image of Lviv Jesuits. After the liquidation of the Society of Jesus in 1773, the popularity of the cult of St. Benedict fell. The Dzieduszycki supported the activities of the chapel, and through their efforts, the relics remained in the temple until 1946, and later they were taken to Poland. However, taking into account the process of restoration of the temple after the Soviet period, the history of the chapel of St. Benedict is an important page of our history that needs thorough study.