Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary

About

The Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary (Polish: Bazylika Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny, Ukrainian: Собор Різдва Пресвятої Богородиці) is a church and monastery complex of the Roman Catholic Church located in the Polish city of Chełm. The church and the courtyard of the basilica stand in the centre of Chełm on Chełm Hill (also called Cathedral Hill or Castle Hill). Over its history, the church has been Orthodox, Uniate and Roman Catholic. Surrounding the basilica's grounds is a city park and a cemetery.

Description: The basilica is a former complex of Orthodox Church and Basilian Monastery. It was founded in the first half of the 13th century by Danylo Romanowych and served as an Orthodox Church and then as a Greek Catholic Church. The present church was founded in 1735-56 by the Greek Catholic Chełm bishop Philip Włodkowic and was built according to the plans of Paweł Fontana. It is a late baroque church built in the shape of a Latin cross, three-aisled basilica with a huge eight-part dome.

History: A former Greek Catholic Cathedral and currently the Parish church, the Basilica of the Virgin Mary stands on the site of an Orthodox church of the same name, founded...