JAN DE WITTE

Jan de Witte (1709-1785) was a Polish military engineer and architect of Dutch descent. The author of, among others, the Dominican church in Lwów (modern Lviv, Ukraine) and the Carmelite monastery in Berdyczów (modern Berdychiv, Ukraine), he was also the military commandant of the fortress at Kamieniec Podolski.

Little is known of his early life. He appeared in history already as a fully developed architect. Probably native to Lwów, among his first projects were the Sapieha family palace at Kopernika street and Lubomirski palace at the old town market. In 1739 he authored the Carmelite church in Berdyczów and in 1744 – the Dominican church in Lwów. At the same time he followed a military career within the Army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Stationed at Kamieniec Podolski as an officer of the Corps of Artillery, he also worked on reconstruction and expansion of the old fortress. Among his projects there are the new barracks and the commandants’ residence, dubbed “de Witte’s Garden”.