St. Lawrence's Church ( pl, kościół św. Wawrzyńca) 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 lette ...
church located in
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 ...
's borough of
Wola. A
neoclassicist
Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...
building, the site is best known as the central point of Polish "Redoubt No. 56" during
the 1831 battle for Warsaw.
A small wooden church was built here as early as the 14th century. It was first mentioned in writing in a document by
Antipope John XXIII dated 1412. Until the 17th century the church was just a branch of the
St. John's Cathedral, and it was not until 1611 that a separate parish was founded in the village of Wielka Wola.
During
the Deluge
The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is the Hebrew version of the universal flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the microc ...
the wooden church was destroyed by Swedish forces, but was rebuilt soon afterwards. In 1695 the deacon of Warsaw Reverend Mikołaj Popławski founded a new church in its place, with the money donated by Queen-consort
Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d'Arquien. However, after King
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...
died, the funds were withdrawn and it was not until 1755 that the construction works were finally finished. The building was designed by
Joachim Daniel Jauch. After his death the works were supervised by
Johann Friedrich Knöbel
Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...
. During the
Siege of Warsaw (1794)
The siege of Warsaw of 1794 was a joint Russian and Prussian siege of the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, during the Kościuszko Uprising in the summer of 1794. It ended with the Polish victory when, after a two-month siege, ...
the area around the church was converted into a rampart for the Polish forces and the church was heavily damaged. Rebuilt in 1807, it was again rededicated in 1811. However, during the Russian siege of Warsaw in 1831 the area was again converted into a fort and the church was again heavily damaged.
After the fall of the
November Uprising
The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution,
was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...
the church building was confiscated by Russian authorities. In line with official policy of
Russification
Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
, it was converted into an Orthodox church devoted to the Holy Image of
Our Lady of Vladimir
, other_title_1 = Our Lady of Vladimir
, other_language_2 = uk, Вишгородська ікона Божої Матері
, other_title_2 = Vyshgorod Mother of God
, wikidata = Q546241
, image = Virgin of Vladimir.jpg
, image_upright = 1
...
, the patron-saint of the day Warsaw was captured by the Russians. To commemorate the battle, 12 barrels of Russian artillery were posted on the church walls.
Following the
Great Retreat in 1915 the church was returned to the Catholics. In 1923 a new St. Lawrence's parish was created there. During the
1939 siege of Warsaw the church was only lightly damaged. However, during the
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...
the Germans took the church and used it for the mass murder of civilians of Warsaw they had captured during the
Wola massacre. After that the church was set on fire.
It was rebuilt after World War II, and now the church serves a small parish of roughly 1000 members. Most nearby inhabitants are now served by a new
Good Shepherd's church (Kościół Dobrego Pasterza) built nearby at Redutowa Street.
Roman Catholic churches in Warsaw
Wola
Christian organizations established in 1923
Neoclassical church buildings in Poland
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