On the gray central square, the memory of the pre-war beauty of Volodymyr and the main Farna street is preserved by the Church of Joachim and Anna.

The history of the Roman Catholic community in the town dates back to the 13th century. During the time of the Halych-Volyn Principality, German, Czech, and Polish merchants lived in the town. A church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary was built for the Catholics, but it has not survived to this day. In the 16th century, Princess Anna Zbarazka built a wooden church of Joachim and Anna. It was destroyed in a fire, and in 1752, Bishop Adam Wojna-Oranski built a new church in the Baroque style – the one that stands today.

Nowadays, this is a majestic temple, which has endured many trials. During the Soviet era, the church building was used as a furniture warehouse, café, and nightclub. With the proclamation of independence, it was returned to the Roman Catholic community.

The walls of the ancient church preserve many interesting features. Notably, to the left of the narthex, there is a stone memorial plaque from 1561 (likely from the previous wooden church) with a bas-relief of the church’s benefactor Podhorodenskyi in knightly armor. A pearl of Baroque art is the main altar. The deep catacombs of the church keep their secrets. Visit them, and perhaps they will reveal some of their mysteries to you.

Legend has it that it was in this church that the treasure of the Polish Crown was kept – the precious items of the treasury of the divided Commonwealth. It is said that both the Bolsheviks and the Nazis once searched for it in the church’s catacombs. Whether this is true or not, it remains unknown. However, for the Roman Catholic community of Volodymyr, the Church of Joachim and Anna was the prominent church of the city.