An operating church of St. Nicholas in the Staryj Sambir of Lviv region is in a critical condition. During the worship the plaster falls on the heads of the parishioners, the roof rises, the wall around the church falls down, fungus corrodes the church walls. And yet a whole number of construction accidents threatens the shrine constructed in 1890.

The Catholic community of Staryj Sambir cannot manage the disaster on its own. Local authorities render assistance to Catholics to the best of their ability, but they are scarce. Catholics ask all enthusiasts to come and help repair the church.

The history of the church:

It is known that the first mention of the Roman Catholic parish in Staryj Sambir dates back to the 15th century; at that time there was a wooden temple in the city, which later burned to ashes. In the 16th century a new stone church was built. Locals say about the involvement in the church construction of Queen Boni Sforza, which has allocated funds for the construction. At the time of King Augustus III the church in Old Sambir was restored at the cost of the proceeds from Samberian salt mines. In 1753, at the expense of the generous Polish king, the building was reconstructed and consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas.

However, after a century the church collapsed, and in a few years it was generally dismantled. Local Catholics were forced to worship in a cemetery chapel or to share their temple with Greek Catholics. The Catholic community took up the construction of a new shrine by raising funds, and already in 1890 the Church of St. Nicholas in Old Sambir was rebuilt and re-consecrated. The period of the Second World War is not the best page in the history of the church. Most of the property of the temple was taken out – partly to Poland, the altar was taken to Mostysk. Since the 1940s, the temple was closed and used as a warehouse and industrial shop, and only in 1991, St Nicholas Church was returned to the Catholic community of Old Sambir. And three years later the altar was brought from Mostysk and installed in the church. This was reported by  Peredkarpatska Pravda.