The Chapel of Boim family is a small shrine in Lviv, Ukraine, located just outside the Latin Cathedral, in what used to be known as the Chapter Square. Built between 1609 and 1615, the chapel was originally located in what used to be the city's main cemetery. Founded by mighty merchants, Jerzy Boim and his wife Jadwiga Niżniowska, the Boim chapel was finished by their son, Paweł Jerzy Boim.

This unique monument adorns Cathedral Square; this lane leads into one of the best views of Rynok Square and City Hall. Georgiy Boim,a Lviv merchant of Hungarian origin, who grew rich trading wine, obtained Lviv citizenship simultaneously with the post of burgomaster, and decided to build a family chapel of unparalleled beauty. The building, designed by Andrzej Bemer, a constructor from Wroclaw, was consecrated in 1615.

Hungarian George (Dziordzi, Dziurdzi) in Polish - Jerzy Boim (year of his birth is unknown - 1617) arrived to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita) with the letter of Stephen Báthory where acted as the royal secretary, then settled in Lviv, married with Jadwiga Niżniowska and fitted in with wealthy petty bourgeois of Lviv. And he settled there in such a way that was in session at the Town hall as a councillor.

The next three generations on spear side of the Boim family all will have the second name Jerzy in honour of the primogenitor of the family.

Already the native citizen of Lviv Paul Jerzy Boim (1581 – December of 1641), the Jerzy’s son, was pretty known around the city. Though the Boim Jr. obtained medical qualification in the University of Padua, and in 1600 as the Doctor of Philosophy and the Doctor of Medicine was even a syndic of artists of Padua. In 1613 he has returned back home to redeem a debts of his father-in-law Zigmound Blezler. At the same time he fulfilled duties of the housekeeper (superintendent) of the hospital of St. Spirit at the church of the same name. In 1620-1641 he was, as well as the father once, a rajets (an official position in the office of municipal authority), and since 1627 reached the mayor of Lviv. Together with other officials of Lviv he founded an altar of St. Rochus in Cathedral in 1623, when the city famished and suffered from wholesale deaths. Even so he did not forget his profession, practised medicine though he did not shun also the profitable trade: competed with gdansk merchant Jan Tomson, supplying potash to Gdansk from manors of prince Yarema Wiszniowecki, and also wheat.

He possesed a big house of “Dziurdziowska” near to a Jesuit church (10, Tribunalna st.). He married Dorota Barczówna (died in 1644). He had a daughter Kate and six sons. By the way, Pawel Boim cut off Jerzy, his first-born, with a shilling for obscene business dealing: because he instead of multiplying the well-being thoughtlessly lost all. He also has the other sons: Pawel (as well as the father, the medico), Michal (became one of the Jesuits. Probably, examples abound - neighbours), Mikolai and Jan (they are merchants). The youngest son, Benedikt Paul, also became one of the Jesuits. The career is not a bad chap too.

The façade of the chapel is entirely covered in stone carvings featuring the Passion and the figures of Saints Peter and Paul. The interior is decorated with similar splendour. As was tradition at the time, regular peoplemodelled for multi-figured compositions. Hence we can view the faces of real people of times past.

The façade on the side of Halytska Street bears the original glassed-in portraits of Boim and his wife. The third façade has a marvellous relief featuring St. George slaying the Dragon. A statue of the grieving Christ in Gethsemane, asking God to let him avoid crucifixion, sits atop the chapel’s dome. This subject, quite often represented in painting, is indeed unique in sculpture.

The Chapel of the Boim family is known for having a particular energy: a museum worker had once left a basket with apples in the corner of the chapel and a year and a half later, she had suddenly stumbled upon it finding the apples as rich and fragrant as before. The external walls of "a black pearl" of Lviv are decorated with portraits and the arms of Jerzy, Jadwiga, and carved figures of Jerzy Boim, Paul, other members of a family, and magnificent epitaphs in a baroque style have remained in interiors. Till now the University of Padua keeps among other relics of time Pawel Boim's arms, and arms of one more student - Michal Boim (1679).

It is surprising, that having so many children the Boim family has quickly enough become extinct. All children of the grandson Jerzy, also named Jerzy Boim, died the childless. Only Michal Boim (died in 1690) left three sons: Michal, Rafal and Alexander. It is unknown what happened to them.

It seems that traditional chapel had been turned out, and the iconostasis appeared outside: the entire facade is covered with a splendid carving, there are lions with gags of rings in muzzles at the foot, and on top there is a sad Christ sitting on the bench.

The interior continues the style begun by the western facade: these cassoons on a dome, these bombastic epitaphs, these winged angelic heads, the roods, armies of figures and statuettes. The chapel was being built near to the Lviv Cathedral in 1609-1615, probably, by an architect Andrzej Bemer. A sculptural décor, possibly, was designed by J.Pfister, G.Shtolts, J.Belyj and S.Cheshek. Pay one grivna as an entrance fee and admire an internal decoration of a chapel. All has remained almost without changes except only murals (Stucco), once they were polychromatic.

The first half of XVII century is the transition period from the Renaissance to the Baroque. It shows! It is the transition from the severe simplicity of forms of the Renaissance to the spiral chaos of the Baroque. The bottom deck which was created by an unknown master is simpler. The middle of eastern wall, built by G.Shtolts, is already much more expressive, and the dome was performed with the cutter of the known master of that time of J.Pfister: it is the absolute carved bacchanalia. Two family portraits on the western wall are the remains of family gallery of the Boims. On a southern wall two carved epitaphs, (those are the arts)that is an art of J.Pfister, have remained.

To get there you must fly to Lviv. There are daily flights to Lviv or Kiev from most of the European countries and from North America.