There are several legends and scientific versions of the history of the construction of the Church of John the Baptist, in which the Museum is located. According to one of them, the temple could have been built at the beginning of the XIII century — in 1201 by Prince Roman Mstislavich in honor of the birth of his son Daniel Romanovich, whose church name is Ivan (this is evidenced by the letter of Pope Innocent IV from 1246). It is possible that the temple may be the first stone building of the city of Lviv. There is also a version about the construction of the temple after the marriage of Prince Leo Danilovich with the daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary — Constance in 1247. There is even a legend about the burial of Constance here.

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The first written mention of the temple dates back to 1371. Until the middle of the 14th century he headed the main trading square of the prince of Lviv — Staryi Rynok.

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The building has been rebuilt several times. From the 16th century we have a recorded mention of the side chapels. Reconstruction and restoration work was carried out in 1650, 1836, 1855 and 1869, and in 1883 the roof was covered with shingles. In 1887, the restoration of the building was completed according to the project of the architect Julian Zakharievich. From 1978 to 1984, architectural research and restoration works were carried out in the temple under the direction of Ivan Mohytich. In part, later elements of perestroika and layering were left.

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In the Soviet period, the building of the temple belonged to a hospital located nearby, utility rooms were equipped here. And in 1993 the Museum of the Ancient Monuments of Lviv was opened in the Church of Ivan the Baptist as part of the Lviv Art Gallery. Now the exposition of the museum is formed from thematic exhibitions that relate to the history of ancient Lviv and works of a sacred nature. The attention of visitors is attracted by fragments of wall painting that were discovered during the restoration process, their dating is debatable from the XIII to the XVI centuries.

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Until 1939, services in the church were held once a year — for the Christmas of John the Baptist. Since 2009, services of the UGCC in the temple have been held every Sunday and on holidays.

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