The Church of St. Anthony of Padua is located on

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 ...

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

at 31/33 Senatorska Street.

Description

The first Warsaw baroque church with a simple facade, it has a nave, a rectangular interior and two side chapels. The porch has a separated lattice (from the 18th century), and the side altars have images of St. Francis and St. Anthony of Padua, painted by

Rafał Hadziewicz Rafał Hadziewicz (13 October 1803, Zamch – 7 September 1883, Kielce) was a Polish painter; primarily of portraits and religious works, and an expert on ancient culture. Biography From 1816 to 1822, he attended the Royal Lyceum (formerly th ...

, and an image of Christ on the Cross painted by Annibale Vinici. Inside the galleries are numerous epitaphs for deserving people (including the writer

Klementyna Hoffmanowa Klementyna Hoffmanowa, born Klementyna Tańska (23 November 1798 – 21 September 1845) was a Polish people, Polish novelist, playwright, Editing, editor, Translation, translator, teacher and Activism, activist. She was the first Women in Poland, ...

, the painter Rafał Hadziewicz, the poet Stanisław Jachowicz, the president of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

Wiktor Malaszewski, and Stanisław Englert), people killed during World War II, people who died in

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...

, and Polish soldiers who fought in defence of their country.

History

Construction of the first church at this site was funded by King Sigismund III Vasa, thankful for winning the Siege of Smolensk, in 1611. The date of the event (13 June) suggested St. Anthony of Padua as the choice of the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

for the church. A resolution in the

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

entrusted the church to the Order of the Franciscans reformers. During the Swedish invasion in 1657, the original wooden church was destroyed by allied troops led by

George II Rákóczi George II Rákóczi (30 January 1621 – 7 June 1660), was a Hungarian nobleman, Prince of Transylvania (1648-1660), the eldest son of George I and Zsuzsanna Lorántffy. Early life He was elected Prince of Transylvania during his father' ...

Castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

Stanisław Skarszewski founded the new church between 1668 and 1680, this time built of brick. In 1679 the temple was consecrated by 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 ...

Stefan Wierzbowski. The church was probably built to a design by Simone Giuseppe Belotti. Sculptures inside the church are the work of Jan Jerzy Plersch. The temple was often visited by King

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 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, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

. From 1734 to 1735 King Augustus III of Saxony had a box built for him and his wife (the royal couple lived in a

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

next door) on the right side of the chancel. In 1766, the monastery hid the famous Casanova, who was wanted by

Franciszek Ksawery Branicki Franciszek Ksawery Branicki (1730–1819) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, French count, diplomat, politician, military commander, and one of the leaders of the Targowica Confederation. Many consider him to have been a traitor who participated wit ...

. From 1767 to 1781 the chapel of the Virgin Mary was built, and in 1792 the cloister was built perpendicular to the side arms to a design by Hilary Szpilowski. In 1850, a painting of the Virgin Mary, was added beside the tympanum at the front, and in 1851 a figure of Mary by Antoni Messing was placed on the

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

in the church. In 1866 the parish was founded. In 1867, in connection with the dissolution of the Order of the Franciscans in the repression following the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

, the church was taken over Diocesan priests. In subsequent years, the main altar was moved to the wall of the chancel, and choir and sacristy were removed. In 1895 the chapel of the Holy Family was built with an altar made by Wincent Bogaczyk. In 1907 the chapel was built for the

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

. The church was badly damaged by the German army during the battles with insurgents in 1944. Especially affected were the side altar, the pulpit and organ, the chapel of Holy Family, the grille, and a part of the chapel's stucco arches. There was considerable human cost too - as mentioned on a Tchorek plaque at the church, over 100 people were executed there. The church was rebuilt from 1950 to 1956 according to a design by Karol Szymański. The main altar was consecrated by Cardinal

Stefan Wyszyński Stefan Wyszyński (3 August 1901 – 28 May 1981) was a Polish Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Warsaw and Archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. He previously served as Bishop of Lublin from 1946 to 1948. He was created a ...

on 18 January, 1969. In 1949 the church and parish had again been transferred back to the Franciscan Order.

Bibliography

* Encyklopedia Warszawy, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. Warszawa. 1994. Page 96. {{ISBN, 83-01-08836-2 (in Polish).

External links

*
The parish's website in Polish
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1680 Roman Catholic churches in Warsaw 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Poland 1680 establishments in Europe 17th-century establishments in Poland Saint Anthony of Padua churches