Basilica of Omni-mediatress of All Glories
Encyclopedia
The church in Niepokalanów, devoted to the BVM the Immaculate, the Omni-mediatress of All Glories, was designed by the architect from Cracow - Zygmunt Gawlik. It was built between 1948-1954, in difficult times for Poland. In June 1950 it become a parish church
for a new parish in Niepokalanów
.
Three-nave church can accommodate up to five thousand people. The height of the church tower is 47 m. Three massive, double winged doors hold symbols of the most famous places of Marian apparitions around the world. In April 1980, Pope John Paul II granted the church the title of the basilica minor.
Construction plans were prepared and approved in December 1938 in Warsaw
. An external company was hired for analysis of the land on which the church was to stand. In May 1939, there was blessed a cross on the square assigned for building the church. The outbreak of war in September 1939, stopped the work for a long time.
After the war, in June 1948, the first brick was put for the building of a new church. The design was made by the architect Zygmunt Gawlik. The church, devoted to the BVM the Immaculate, the Omni-mediatress of All Glories, could hold up to 5000 people. It was consecrated on the 3rd of October 1954 by bishop Wacław Majewski, who replaced the imprisoned cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.
Professional co-friars worked at decoration of the interior of the church: sculptors, stonemasons, blacksmiths and so on. Many of the sculptures were made by artist-friar Maurycy Kowalewski, with the help of friar Abel Dziełyński and the other friars. On the church tower there were mounted four clock bells, named: Knight of the Immaculata, Maximilian, Francis and Anthony.
baptized - Poland is always faithful - 966-1966). The second, huge mosaic (placed on the wall) shows Jesus the Merciful and the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady.
The chapel on the left side is dedicated to St. Maximilian Kolbe. A marble
statue of the saint, placed in the central part of the chapel, offers the entire globe to the Mother of God. On the chapel walls there are hung many votive offerings, in thanksgiving for the graces received. A round mosaic, located next to them, presents a speech of St. Maximilian to the co-prisoners in the Auschwitz camp. Near, in the central part of the church there is situated a Carrara marble ambo. Bas-reliefs of the Holy Trinity, Christ teaching in the boat and the Evangelists
, can attract the attention of visitors in the nave.
The specifications of the basilica are:
- the length from the beginning of the stairs to the end of the apse - 84,8 m.
- the length of the interior of the basilica - 69 m.
- the height of the main nave - 16 m.
- the width of the church - 18 m. (the width with both side chapels - 33 m.)
- the height of the tower clock - 47 m.
On the 18th of June 1983, during the 2nd Pastoral Visit in Poland, pope John Paul II visited the basilica and the monastery in Niepokalanów. In the basilica he met the representatives of religious orders to which he gave a speech. Then, during the Holy Mass at the field altar he preached a sermon to over 300 000 people. The visit of Pope increased the number of pilgrim
s coming to Niepokalanów. Many people wanted to visit the place, sacred by activity of St. Maximilian, and to pray in the local basilica.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
for a new parish in Niepokalanów
Niepokalanów
Niepokalanów is a Roman Catholic religious community in Teresin , Poland founded in 1927 by Franciscan Friar Maximilian Kolbe, who was later canonized a saint of the Catholic Church. Also known as Immaculate City, at one time, it was the largest monastery in the world, housing as many as 760 men...
.
Three-nave church can accommodate up to five thousand people. The height of the church tower is 47 m. Three massive, double winged doors hold symbols of the most famous places of Marian apparitions around the world. In April 1980, Pope John Paul II granted the church the title of the basilica minor.
Plans and construction of the church
The first idea to build a new church in Niepokalanów (or at least a large chapel), appeared before the Second World War. In 1933 the magazine "Rycerz Niepokalanej" ("The Knight of the Immaculate") wrote: It is necessary to build a new chapel, or - as some of the readers want - the church, because there is no room to accommodate all of us. Unfortunately, at that time, the Franciscans did not have adequate funds to start the building.Construction plans were prepared and approved in December 1938 in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. An external company was hired for analysis of the land on which the church was to stand. In May 1939, there was blessed a cross on the square assigned for building the church. The outbreak of war in September 1939, stopped the work for a long time.
After the war, in June 1948, the first brick was put for the building of a new church. The design was made by the architect Zygmunt Gawlik. The church, devoted to the BVM the Immaculate, the Omni-mediatress of All Glories, could hold up to 5000 people. It was consecrated on the 3rd of October 1954 by bishop Wacław Majewski, who replaced the imprisoned cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.
Professional co-friars worked at decoration of the interior of the church: sculptors, stonemasons, blacksmiths and so on. Many of the sculptures were made by artist-friar Maurycy Kowalewski, with the help of friar Abel Dziełyński and the other friars. On the church tower there were mounted four clock bells, named: Knight of the Immaculata, Maximilian, Francis and Anthony.
Architecture and specifications
Entering the church, a visitor can see the statue of Our Lady Immaculate in the main altar. This statue is a work of Maurycy Kowalewski and Abel Dziełyński, friars-sculptors from Niepokalanów. In the chapel of St. Joseph (on the right side of the church) there are two important mosaics. The first of them (round mosaic) commemorates the baptism of Poland. The Latin inscription says: Mesco dux baptizatur - Polonia semper fidelis - 966-1966 (Prince MieszkoMieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of Siemomysł; grandchild of Lestek; father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland; likely father of Świętosława , a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son, Cnut the...
baptized - Poland is always faithful - 966-1966). The second, huge mosaic (placed on the wall) shows Jesus the Merciful and the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady.
The chapel on the left side is dedicated to St. Maximilian Kolbe. A marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
statue of the saint, placed in the central part of the chapel, offers the entire globe to the Mother of God. On the chapel walls there are hung many votive offerings, in thanksgiving for the graces received. A round mosaic, located next to them, presents a speech of St. Maximilian to the co-prisoners in the Auschwitz camp. Near, in the central part of the church there is situated a Carrara marble ambo. Bas-reliefs of the Holy Trinity, Christ teaching in the boat and the Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
, can attract the attention of visitors in the nave.
The specifications of the basilica are:
- the length from the beginning of the stairs to the end of the apse - 84,8 m.
- the length of the interior of the basilica - 69 m.
- the height of the main nave - 16 m.
- the width of the church - 18 m. (the width with both side chapels - 33 m.)
- the height of the tower clock - 47 m.
Pope John Paul II and other pilgrims
Since the time of the beatifications of Fr. Maximilian Kolbe (1971), many important guests visited Niepokalanów and the local basilica. There were bishops, cardinals and high rank politic officials among them. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, Primate of Poland, who visited Niepokalanów several times, said once: "Before the war Niepokalanów grew far and wide. After the war the hard times came, and then the Franciscans, unable to keep up their common job, did the wisest thing they could - they built a church."On the 18th of June 1983, during the 2nd Pastoral Visit in Poland, pope John Paul II visited the basilica and the monastery in Niepokalanów. In the basilica he met the representatives of religious orders to which he gave a speech. Then, during the Holy Mass at the field altar he preached a sermon to over 300 000 people. The visit of Pope increased the number of pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s coming to Niepokalanów. Many people wanted to visit the place, sacred by activity of St. Maximilian, and to pray in the local basilica.
Source materials (books)
- Niepokalanów. Pilgrimage and tourist guide, red. fr. Roman Soczewka OFMConv. Wydawnictwo ZET, Wrocław 2004, ISBN 83-7364-185-8
- o. Cezar Czesław Baran OFMConv., Franciszkańskie sanktuaria maryjne w Polsce. Wydawnictwo Pelikan, Warszawa 1990, ISBN 83-85045-17-1 (book in Polish language)
- Miasto Niepokalanej (City of the Immaculate - art. in Polish language), p. 216-219, in: Rycerz Niepokalanej (The Knight of the Immaculate) nr 7-8/2010, Niepokalanów, ISSN 0208-8878