It was none other than King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellon who funded its construction in 1497. Within the monastery’s sturdy walls, monks of the Dominican Order took up residence. Adjacent to it, they built the Church of the Holy Trinity, which, according to scarce documentary sources, boasted a lavish interior, featuring 22 windows and 12 mirrored chandeliers.

This is hardly surprising, as the monastery was quite wealthy—it owned a tavern, extensive estates, a garden, a watermill, and even serfs. The Dominican monks were the first in the town to receive the right to brew beer and honey and to sell wine. As a result, both locals and visitors to Volodymyr enjoyed stopping by the monastery’s tavern for a mug of ale. The monastery also housed a hospital and a parish school.

Unfortunately, the Church of the Holy Trinity did not survive multiple fires and was completely destroyed in 1850. However, the monastery walls and cells have remained almost unchanged for six centuries. The monastery’s bell tower, which for many years was one of the city’s tallest observation points, has also undergone little change.

In 1850, Emperor Nicholas I issued a decree closing the Dominican monastery. Over the following years, the building housed various government institutions, including the treasury, district administration, archives, and a museum. At one point, it even served as the headquarters for the 90th Border Guard Detachment. Today, the monastery buildings are used by a vocational education institution—the Higher Vocational School.

Regardless of its ownership or purpose over the years, the Dominican Monastery remains the oldest surviving landmark of ancient Volodymyr, preserved almost unchanged.