St. Christopher's Column

The St. Christopher Column is a Baroque monument from the early 18th century located in the historic center of Lviv. It stands inside the courtyard of the Armenian Church on Virmenska Street and commemorates a devastating fire that severely damaged the Armenian Cathedral and neighboring buildings in 1712. After reconstruction began in 1723 under the direction of Christoph Augustynowicz, he erected the column in 1726 in honor of his patron saint. The sculpture of St. Christopher carrying the young Christ on his shoulder is attributed to the sculptor Christian Seyner. The monument consists of a tall base, a column with a Corinthian capital, and the figural group. The pedestal originally bore Latin inscriptions documenting the reconstruction and the donor's gratitude. A national architectural monument, the column was restored in the 2010s and is now an important historic landmark of the city.