Church of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary () commonly known as the Franciscan Church () is a
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
Franciscan church in the Old Town 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 ...
, dedicated to the
Annunciation
The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...
.
''Nowy obszerny kościół o wymiarach 29x56 m otrzymał tytuł Zwiastowania Pańskiego. (...) W roku 1784, gdy Zamość po pierwszym rozbiorze Polski znalazł się w zaborze austriackim, cesarz Franz Joseph wydał nakaz kasacyjny, któremu podlegał też nasz klasztor. (...) Bez Po upadku Księstwa Warszawskiego Zamość zajęli Moskale. Rozebrali oni całkowicie klasztor i wysoką dzwonnicę, a kościół obniżyli i wewnątrz porobili kondygnacje. (...) Po I wojnie światowej mieścił się tu Sejmik Zamojski i inne instytucje. Później nawę główną zajęło kino, a w salach nad nawami bocznymi umieszczono szkołę plastyczną ...'' This largest church in Zamość (56-meter long and 29-meter wide) was regarded as one of the most prominent 17th-century churches in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.
''W roku 1687 ukończono budowany według projektu J. M. Linka sąsiadujący z kościołem klasztor, czworoboczną dzwonnicę oraz połączone z nią reprezentacyjne wejście do świątyni. (...) W czasie Księstwa Warszawskiego w klasztorze utworzono kancelarie wojskowe i szpital, a w kościele magazyny (...) Bez Albumu Zamojskie Kazimierza Strzeleckiego, fotografii Jana Strzyżowskiego, nie znalibyśmy tak dokładnie wyglądu największej polskiej świątyni XVII wieku.'' etc
''Największą świątynię w Zamościu (56 na 29 m), ufundowaną przez Tomasza Zamoyskiego w 1637 r., zbudowano w stylu barokowym na miejscu dawnej Giełdy, czyli siedziby stowarzyszenia kupców.''
History
The construction of one of the largest 17th-century Polish churches
''Kościół franciszkanów w Zamościu był największą chyba polską budowlą sakralną XVII w. Budowano go w latach 1637-1665 ...'' began with the arrival in the city of the
Franciscan friars
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...
in 1637; it was founded by
Jan "Sobiepan" Zamoyski and erected in Baroque style on the site of the former
Bourse, an association of merchants.
The construction work began under Jan Jaroszewicz and Jan Wolff between 1637 and 1665, and was completed by the
artillery
Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
major Jan Michał Link (Linek) of
Prawdzic coat of arms between 1680 and 1685.
The structure, taller and larger than the other churches in the city (even Zamość Cathedral),
consisted of three
aisle
An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...
s, a semicircular
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
and two side
chapel
A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
s.
The interior of the church was decorated with a profuse polychromy and sculptures.
The present site of Liberty Square was occupied by a Franciscan monastery, and in the north-western corner the bell tower was erected.
The greatest changes occurred during the
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...
in 1784, after the takeover of the city by the Austrians, when the order was suppressed.
During the period of modernization in the
Zamość Fortress
Zamość Fortress () is a set of fortifications constructed together with the city of Zamość (southeastern Poland). It was built between 1579 and 1618, and the construction was initiated by Chancellor and Hetman Jan Zamoyski. It was one of the ...
under Russian rule, the church building was turned into a military store.
The interior was divided into tiers, the bell tower and the monastery were torn down slightly later.
The most significant changes in the building's outer appearance occurred in 1887, when the roof was lowered, the high peaks were pulled down and the vaulting inside the church was changed into a simple slab.
Then the church building was used by numerous institutions, including County Council, museum, and cinema, which was located here until 1994.
After World War II the Fine Arts High School occupied the western part of the building.
In 1993, the structure was returned to the Franciscan friars, who started its reconstruction.
See also
*
Baroque in Poland
Notes
Bibliography
# .
External links
Parafia Zwiastowania NMP ojców Franciszkanów w Zamościu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franciscan Church, Zamosc
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1685
17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Poland
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 ...
1685 establishments in Europe