Holy Cross Church, Warsaw

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Church of the Holy Cross (Polish: Kościół św. Krzyża, also Kościół świętokrzyski) is a Roman Catholic place of worship in downtown Warsaw. Located at Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, directly opposite the main Warsaw University's campus, it is one of the most notable baroque churches in the capital of Poland. Currently it is run by Missionary Friars of Vincent á Paulo.

Contents 1 History 2 Trivia 3 Notes and references 4 See also

[edit] History

Already in 15th century a small wooden chapel of the Holy Cross had been erected on the spot of the future church. In 1526 the old chapel was demolished and a newer church was erected on the spot. Refurbished and extended by Paweł Zembrzuski in 1615, the church was too small to fit the needs of the growing city. Initially located well outside the city limits, by 17th century it became one of the main churches of the southern suburb of the city that in the meantime became the capital of Poland. In 1656 queen Marie Louise Gonzaga gave the church to a French order of Missionary Friars of Vincent á Paulo. However, later the same year Warsaw had been captured by the Swedish armies during the Deluge. Pillaged, it was found damaged beyond repair. During the reign of John III of Poland the remnants of the church had been demolished and it was decided to erect a new shrine. In the 1700s it was the origin of the gorzkie żale custom.

The main building was constructed between 1679 and 1696. Its main designer was Józef Szymon Bellotti, the royal architect at the Royal Court of Poland. It was financed by abbot Kazimierz Szczuka and the Primate of Poland Michał Stefan Radziejowski. The façade was relatively modest and reminded of Renaissance facades of the nearby churches. The two towers surrounding the façade were initially square-cut. Between 1725 and 1737 two late Baroque headpieces by Józef Fontana. The façade itself was refurbished by Fontana's son, Jakub (in 1756) and ornamented with sculptures by Jan Jerzy Plersch.

Since 1765 the church was one of the most visited by the Polish king Stanisław August Poniatowski. It was also there that the king established the Order of the Knights of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr and granted it to his loyal servants every May 8. On May 3, 1792 the Polish Diet gathered there on the first anniversary of the Constitution of May 3. During the Warsaw Uprising of 1794 the stairs leading to the main entrance were destroyed and had to be replaced with new stairs designed by Chrystian Piotr Aigner.

During the times of the partitions, the church gained much importance, especially after the 1861 demonstration in front of it, brutally pacified by the Russian Cossack troops, an event that sparked the January Uprising. In late 19th century the interior was slightly refurbished and in 1882 an urn with the heart of Frederic Chopin was added in one of the chapels. Soon afterwards a similar urn was also added with the remains of Władysław Reymont. In 1889 the external staircase leading to the main entrance had been reconstructed and a sculpture of the Christ under the Cross by Pius Weloński had been added. The sculpture is bearing a motto Sursum Corda, a phrase that was to signify the endurance of the Poles under the Russian partition of Poland. In addition to the urns containing the hearts of some of the most renown Polish artists, there are several epitaphs to other notable people of late 19th century and early 20th century. Among them are stone tablets devoted to Bolesław Prus, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Juliusz Słowacki and Władysław Sikorski.

During the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 the church had been severely damaged. Afterwards it was blown up by the Germans. However, between 1945 and 1953 it had been rebuilt in a simplified architectural form by B. Zborowski. The interior was also reconstructed, however without the baroque polychromies and frescoes. The main altar had been reconstructed between 1960 and 1972.

[edit] Trivia

• The Holy Cross Church and its gardens (now non-existent and occupied by the building of the Ministry of Finances) gave their name to the Świętokrzyska Street, one of the most notable streets in central Warsaw
• Following the signing of the Gdańsk Accords between the Solidarity and the Communist government of the People's Republic of Poland in 1980 it was decided that a mass be transmitted countrywide by means of state-controlled radio. Since then the weekly mass is recorded in the church of the Holy Cross and then transmitted.

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] See also