Like every old and ancient European city, Lublin has its unique and historically important ruins. On my point of view they make city very mysterious because you would never know the real history of that places, and what really happened inside those buildings, only stories and legends. The ruins of the very first church of Lublin are such place of legends there. We can observe them on old Lublin square that was named after the church –“Plac po Farze”.
But before telling the story, it is important to say what it means “Plac po Farze”. Farze was a parish or parish church in medieval Central and Eastern Europe. The oldest temple of the city or the first parish church of the city, in other words it was the main church of the city. They were usually built near markets.
While walking on the streets of old Lublin, we can reach a larger area, named after once stood here a parish church, which was destroyed in the XIX century. According to the legend, it was the city’s oldest church, built before the foundation of Lublin. The founder of it is considered to be the prince Leszek Black. The old legend tells us that he fell asleep in a forest area under a big oak tree. Archangel Michael who was handing the sword came to him in his dreams. That dream was considered by the prince as a sign of future victories over the pagans. And so it happened. Then Leszek Black ordered to build a church here and sanctify it in the name of Archangel Michael.
In fact, historians do not believe that the church was built in 876. They think that it was founded at the end of XIII or at the beginning of XIV centuries. In the city archive there is a document that stated that the Church of St. Michael was built after a fire in 1282 Archaeological studies show that the church was founded on the site of an ancient cemetery. In 1341 after the invasion of the Mongols the Church of Archangel Michael was extended . In the XVI centure a house for the priest and another building were built next to it. The hospital and the parish school were there too. In 1575 a large fire almost destroyed the temple. But it was restored very soon. A few years later the bell tower of the church collapsed. That event frightened Lublin’s residents. And at that time the the church was restored again.
In the middle of the XIX century, the condition of the church was very depressing. Its facade was covered with small cracks that could cause the destruction of the church. Then the mayor ordered to demolish the dangerous building. Residents of Lublin established a square on that place. It is still possible to see the remains of the foundations and the model of a Gothic church.
It is a place of tourists’ interest today. The square is located in the oldest part of the Old Town in Lublin. From the viewing platform you can see a beautiful view of the eastern part of Lublin, the Chvartek hill with the church of St. Nicholas, Lublin Castle and the chapel of the Holy Trinity.
It is a place where residents of Lubin and guests of the city often meet and go to cafes to have a cup of tasty coffee. There a lot of nice and cozy cafes on the square. A lot of concerts and art events are held here.
Irina Ilyashevych