St. John's Archcathedral (Warsaw)
The St. John's Cathedral, also Johannesdom (Polish: Archikatedra Sw John the Baptist. ), In the historic center of the Polish capital Warsaw since 1798 Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Warsaw Warsaw and oldest church. The building itself, which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, located just south of the Old Town market and poses a Gothic building from 1948 to 1956 dar.
History
Already towards the end of the 13th century, built on the site of the present cathedral a wooden church, the parish church of the city of Warsaw was 1339. In addition, they also came as a burial place of the Dukes of Mazovia importance. Therefore, Duke Janusz let the wooden church replaced in 1390 by a gothic stone. A little later it was 1406 Collegiate. It was followed by several modifications and extensions, in which the Church has received, among others, a new baroque façade, while the Gothic hall church a cube has been largely maintained.
Inside was of John III. Sobieski donated after his victory in the Battle of Vienna choir stalls, which is now preserved as reconstruction. One of the oldest pieces of equipment is a crucifix from the early 16th century, is situated in the baroque Baryczkówkapelle. Also from the Baroque period comes a baptismal font of black marble from the year 1631. Moreover, the classical grave of Małachowski family was by Bertel Thorvaldsen designed. The church houses the tombs next to the Warsaw bishops (including Stefan Wyszynski ) and the Dukes of Mazovia also tombs of several key figures in Poland. So rest in its crypt, among others, the last Polish king Stanisław August, whose grave was transferred from Grodno, the Nobel Henryk Sienkiewicz, as well as the first two Polish President Ignacy Moscicki and Gabriel Narutowicz. In addition to numerous coronation and wedding ceremonies of Polish kings, on May 3, 1791 oath of allegiance to the new Polish constitution in church. Only in 1798 she became the cathedral seat of a bishop, and in 1818 the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese of Warsaw.
Your major remodeling learned the cathedral in the second half of the 19th century. After a design by Adam Idźkowski the church was changed in the style of English Gothic Revival completely. In particular, the facade was changed with lavish ornamentation such as pinnacles and statues. This rebuild the historic character was lost. Finally destroyed it during the Second World War. First they burned down during the Warsaw Uprising, 1944, the facade was by the retreating German troops blew up. As the whole stretch of road Ulica Świętojańska and the adjacent Jesuit church remained of this house of God no more than the foundation walls get into the heart of the church was badly damaged. Only the south subsequent older bell tower was partly preserved.
Since hardly anything was left of the old church, the reconstruction without reference to the neo-Gothic appearance could take place. Under the direction of architect Jan 1947 Zachwatowicz the basic reconstruction, which was completed in 1954 began. From the old church only the floor plan, the location of the front window and the height of the roof approach has been adopted, the whole building was re-executed in imitation of the Masovian gothic. In place of the old decorated facade, entered a stepped gable of brick, whose individual fields were plastered white. In the side façade of a caterpillar remote-controlled Goliath was built in memory of the destruction, in 1944 used for the destruction of the old town. The rest of the exterior was also made of brick. The simple bronze door with his relief was created by Stanisław Marzynski and Andrzej Jabłoński. When decorating the outer walls of a stone frieze of Kazimierz Knothe was used. The interior has also been redesigned, so that although imitated the old Gothic stellar vault, the walls, however, was mostly white plaster in addition to smaller brick elements. The former generous feature set and the many Bürgerepitaphien from the Renaissance and Baroque periods could not be fully restored. The stained glass windows, which were used in the new Gothic window tracery with a simplified, as submitted by Zbigniew Łoskot and Waclaw Taranczewski. In 1960, the cathedral church of the Basilica Minor was charged.
Coronations
The following coronations were performed in the Cathedral of St. John:
- Cecylia Renata, Władysław IV Vasa 's wife on September 13, 1637
- Eleanor of Habsburg, the wife of Michael Wiśniowieckis on October 19, 1670
- Stanislaus Leszczynski and Catherine I. Opalinska on October 4, 1704
- Stanislaus II Augustus on November 25, 1764