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The Church of John of God is a Roman Catholic church belonging to the
Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God
The Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, officially the Hospitaller Order of the Brothers of Saint John of God (abbreviated as OH), are a Catholic religious order founded in 1572. In Italian they are also known commonly as the Fatebenefra ...
(the Bonifratrzy). It is located at 12 Bonifraterska Street in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
. From 1976 to 2013 it was the seat of the now defunct parish of St. John of God (Parafia św. Jana Bożego w Warszawie).
History
In 1650,
Bogusław Leszczyński
Bogusław Leszczyński, count of Leszno (1614–1659) from the Leszczyński Family of Holy Roman Empire counts, was a Polish noble (''szlachcic'') and politician from Wielkopolska region.
Biography
Traveled abroad from 1632-1636 with his tu ...
, in his hereditary village of Leszno near Warsaw, founded a church and monastery ''bonifratellom'' as it was then called ''the Brothers'' (Bonifratrów). The first prior of the monastery was a Neapolitan priest Father Modest Genoino, a popular surgeon in Warsaw. The foundation was modest and the location too far from the center. The Brothers Hospitallers were supported by the Morsztyn brothers: clerk to the Crown, Tobiasz Morsztyn and poet and Royal secretary
Jan Andrzej Morsztyn
Jan Andrzej Morsztyn (1621–1693) was a Polish poet, member of the landed nobility, and official in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was ''starosta'' of Zawichost, Tymbark and Kowal. He was also pantler of Sandomierz (1647–58), Roya ...
.
Seeing how far the church and monastery were from the center of Warsaw, they provided money for its move.
Jan Wielopolski had given Tobiasz Morsztyn a square which was on Wielopole and in this area Jan Andrzej Morsztyn built the
Saxon Palace
The Saxon Palace () in Warsaw, Poland, was a historic architectural landmark located on Piłsudski Square in the heart of the Polish capital. Originally built in the 17th century as a noble residence, it was later expanded and transformed into a r ...
at what is now
Piłsudski Square
Piłsudski Square (), is the largest city square of Poland's capital, located in the Warsaw city centre. The square is named after Marshal Józef Piłsudski who was instrumental in the restoration of Polish statehood after World War I.
.
The construction of the new church and convent was completed in 1673.
In 1713,
Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...
bought Morsztyn's palace as his residence and expanded it into neighbouring areas which included the monastery and church. Therefore, funds were allocated for the construction of a new church on the spot where it is now.
Work began in 1728 and a few years later, the
Bishop of Poznań
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
Jan Joachim Tarło dedicated the church and monastery.
When the church was built, a hospital was also built. Initially, it only had 8 beds. In 1760, Prince
August Aleksander Czartoryski
Prince August Aleksander Czartoryski (9 November 1697, Warsaw4 April 1782, Warsaw) was a member of the Polish nobility (), magnate.
Life
August became major-general of the Polish Army in 1729, voivode of the Ruthenian Voivodeship in 1731, gene ...
,
voivode
Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...
of the Ruthenian province, built a new building for 34 patients and several ancillary rooms. Also, the builder of the church, architect
Jakub Fontana
Jakub Fontana (1710 – 13 April 1773) was a Polish architect of Swiss Italian origin, a practitioner of the Baroque and Neoclassical styles. He was court architect to the Polish king. He was knighted in 1764. Jakub Fontana had a notable brother n ...
left 74,000 złoty for maintenance and to help the sick, in his will dated March 20, 1773. This provision was approved by a parliamentary delegation in 1775.
Initially the brothers were not only priests and
sacristan
A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents.
In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretal ...
, and the chaplain exercised his priestly ministry. In time, the brothers became interested in medicine for mercy. The former
provincial
Provincial may refer to:
Government & Administration
* Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country
* Provincial city (disambiguation)
* Provincial minister (disambiguation)
* Provincial Secretary, a position in Canad ...
of Poland, Paschal Stirzelheimer received his doctorate in medicine in
Zamość
Zamość (; ; ) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021.
Zamość was founded in 1580 by Jan Zamoyski ...
.
At the time of the
annexation
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...
, the Brothers Hospitallers were victimized by the tsarist authorities for helping the insurgents of 1831 and 1863.
During the
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...
, the church, hospital and monastic buildings were essential points in the insurgent resistance. They were defended by troop battalions Zośka,
Parasol
An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy (building), canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is usually designed to protect a person against rain. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionall ...
and Watch 49 until 25 August 1944. The buildings suffered badly during these battles.
The church was rebuilt after the war but the hospital was not. Inside the church there are almost no monuments - only the image of St. Andrew from the seventeenth century (by the altar) and the Virgin Mary on the altar. There is a full array of memorials, some of them devoted to the memory of the
Home Army
The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...
and Father Serafinowi Klocowi who enabled and supported the restoration of the church.