The Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ( pl, Konkatedra Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny), also called Żywiec Cathedral, is the main Catholic religious building in the city of

Żywiec Żywiec () (german: Saybusch) is a town in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship.It is the capital of Ż ...

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 populous ...

, and the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Bielsko–Żywiec. In 1470 the church was built in

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and became a parish. In the sixteenth century the church was extended twice with the support of the Komorowski family, once owner of Żywiec. The first expansion took place between 1515 and 1542, with the extension of the chancel and nave. On October 9, 1547, the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Kraków with the title of the "Nativity of the Virgin Mary and St. Lawrence Martyr" in honor of the Extension Promoter church, Lawrence Komorowski. The subsequent expansion was carried out in the years 1582 to 1583 still focused on the ship, with the addition of a square tower, the Italian architect Giovanni Ricci. The church was elevated to the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Bielsko–Żywiec, simultaneously with the erection of the new diocese on March 25, 1992, with the Bull "Totus Tuus Poloniae populus" of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Church Roman Catholic cathedrals in Poland Buildings and structures in Żywiec Roman Catholic churches completed in 1470 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Poland

See also

References