Church of the Holiest Saviour ( pl, Kościół Najświętszego Zbawiciela) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

parish church in the Śródmieście district of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. It is located on the Saviour Square.

History

The origins of the church date back to the end of the 19th century. A growing number of citizens of the Śródmieście Południowe and Ujazdów districts of Warsaw wanted to commemorate the upcoming year 1900. They were supported by the Archbishop

Wincenty Popiel Wincenty Teofil Popiel-Chościak (born 21 July 1825 in Czaple Wielkie, died on 7 December 1912 in Warsaw) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest, Bishop of Płock from 1863 to 1875, Bishop of Kujawy–Kaliska from 1876 to 1883, and the metropolitan ...

. In 1900 the grounds between the Marszałkowska and Mokotowska streets were bought, and construction began the following year. In 1903 the church was partially opened to believers and four years later became fully operational. In 1927 it was ceremonially consecrated by Bishop Stanisław Gall. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the building was heavily damaged. In 1939 during the Nazi bombing of Warsaw, missiles destroyed the western tower and the roof. Nazis also arrested the church rector, priest Marceli Nowakowski, who was later executed in the

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...

gardens in February 1940. After the fall of the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...

of 1944, Germans detonated explosives in the church, heavily damaging the whole building. After the war quick restoration work was conducted and in 1948, the building was again opened to worshippers. However, the communist authorities only allowed the reconstruction of the spires in 1955. During the construction of the Marszałkowska Apartments District, they also changed the course of the Marszałkowska street and built the MDM Hotel at the Constitution Square in order to hide the church from the panorama of the city. The building is a three-nave basilica church with a dome over the crossing of the naves. The main facade, facing the square, features two slim towers and sculptures of Saints Peter and Paul.

References

External links

Official website of the parish
Roman Catholic churches in Warsaw Basilica churches in Poland 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Poland The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland {{Poland-RC-church-stub

History

See also

References

External links