Brigittenkirche (Gdansk)

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Brigittenkirche
Elevation Brigittenkirche from 1695
Brigittenkirche, view from the tower of the Katharinenkirche.
Brigittenkirche, drawing by Julius Greth.

The Brigittenkirche is located in the old town of Gdańsk on Ulica Profesorska and borders on the east of the cemetery of the Katharinenkirche and the Radaunekanal . The monastery buildings were located between the north wall of the church and the Radaunekanal until their demolition in 1849. In 1992 the church was given the status of a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II .

history

The name of the church goes back to St. Birgitta of Sweden . In 1374, the body of St. Brigitte, when it was brought from Rome to Sweden , was laid out for about two weeks in the small chapel of St. Mary Magdalene , which was located on the site of the current Brigitte Church . On this occasion, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Konrad von Jungingen had a single-nave church built instead of the chapel. The small nunnery next to the chapel was enlarged. He handed both over to the Order of Brigits . At the beginning of the 16th century, the monastery housed 80 nuns.

In 1587 the church and the monastery burned down, which were only completely rebuilt and redesigned in 1602 by the Brigite Order. The interior of the church, designed in the Renaissance style, consisted of three naves, separated by ten pillars. A cloister and a new sleeping house were built in the nunnery in 1648. In 1673 a bell tower was built in the southeast corner of the church. In the first half of the 18th century, the order's church and monastery received their final appearance.

During the occupation of Danzig around 1807 by Napoleon's French troops , the church and the monastery were used as barracks. The nuns had to leave the monastery for the duration of the occupation. Many precious objects and ornaments from the interior decoration of the church were lost. 1817 took place in the course of the Prussian reforms under King Friedrich Wilhelm III. the secularization of the monastery took place, which had to pass to Prussia after the death of the people living in the monastery. In 1849 the monastery buildings were demolished and today's rectory was built in their place.

During the Second World War , 1945, the church burned down and was largely destroyed. The last remaining fragments of the roof structure and one of the tips of the south nave were destroyed by fire in 1957. In 1970 it was rebuilt on the initiative of pastor Henryk Jankowski , which lasted until 1987. The painting by H. Hahn from 1612 "Apotheosis of St. Brigitta" was hung in the sacristy.

During the Solidarność movement, it was the meeting point and action center of the young free trade union around Lech Wałęsa and achieved fame. The provost of the Brigittenkirche Henryk Jankowski was Wałęsa's confessor and one of the first churchmen to openly support the strikers and their movement.

In the choir is an 11-meter-high monumental amber altar in the form of a soaring lily, which is dedicated to the memory of the 28 shipyard workers who perished in protests in December 1970.

Legend for the floor plan

Brigittenkirche floor plan

church

A: large entrance, B and C: doors from the church to the cloister of the nunnery, D: door to the nuns' courtyard, E: vault in the area of ​​the tower, F: dressing room, G: large altar, H: vault above the holy burial hall .

monastery

A: entrance to the monastery, B: conversation room with strangers, C: entrance for the servants to the monastery, D: passageways in the monastery, E: inner courtyard, F: a well, G: dining room, H: kitchen, I: pantry, K : Backhaus, L: wash house and bathing room, M: staircase to the sleeping house and cells.

Interior views

  • Central nave and organ

  • altar

  • pulpit

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Bartel Ranisch: Description of all church buildings in the city of Dantzig, Raths and Gymnasii book printers, Johann Zacharias Stollen, 1695 , University and State Library Saxony-Anhalt - ULB (p. 133 to 144).
  2. ↑ a b Rudolph Genée: Danzig buildings in drawings by Julius Greth and J. Gottheil. Bertling, Danzig 1864 (pp. 14, 25, XII).
  3. ↑ a b c Historia parafii (history of the community). In: Website of the parish church of St. Brygidy in Gdansk. From Brygida.Gdansk.pl (Polish), accessed September 4, 2019.
  4. ^ Brigittenkirche in Gdansk. In: Churches and Monasteries. On Pomorskie.Travel, accessed September 4, 2019.
  5. ↑ Architectural highlights: Danzig Kościół św. Brygidy. In: Marco Polo Travel Guide Gdansk. On MarcoPolo.de, accessed on September 4, 2019.

Coordinates: 54 ° 21 ′ 16.6 ″  N , 18 ° 39 ′ 7.9 ″  E