Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland (Krakow)
| Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland | |
|---|---|
 View from the south |
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| Construction year: | 1969 |
| Inauguration: | 1977 |
| Style elements : | Postmodern |
| Client: | Catholic Church |
| Location: | 50 ° 5 '6 " N , 20 ° 1' 44.8" E |
| Address: | ulica Obrońców Krzyża 1 Krakow Poland |
| Purpose: | Roman Catholic Parish Church |
| Diocese : | Krakow |
The Church of the Mother of God, Queen of Poland (in Polish Kościół Matki Bożej Królowej Polski ) in the Kraków district of Bieńczyce ( Nowa Huta ) is a Roman Catholic parish church belonging to the Kraków-Bieńczyce deanery and also known as the Lord's Ark (Polish Arka Pana ). The modern church building by the architect Wojciech Pietrzyk, which was built between 1969 and 1977, is often compared structurally and stylistically to Le Corbusier's Notre-Dame-du-Haut de Ronchamp chapel . The church, which came into being under great opposition from the communist regime at the time, was supported by a large number of well-known personalities such as Cardinal Karol Wojtyła , who later became Pope John Paul II. The patron of the building was the then Pope Paul VI.
history
The parish, which was founded on June 15, 1952, erected a wooden cross on the site of the later church on March 17, 1957. The initiative to build a church at this point originally goes back to the Catholic presbyter Józef Gorzelany. The first draft was for a classic church with two towers. Since this was a thorn in the side of the communist authorities because they designed the new city district without religious life, they withdrew the building permit on February 16, 1959. As a result, there were repeated violent riots between the community members as well as the police and the army, which also resulted in deaths. The climax of these clashes was on April 27, 1960. Residents and community members defended the wooden cross against the police and military forces. In the wake of these struggles, the regime tolerated the cross, but still did not issue a permit for church building.
As early as the 1960s, despite resistance from the authorities, the then Archbishop of Kraków Karol Wojtyła repeatedly held the Holy Mass in the open at the place of the cross . It was only through his use that it was possible in July 1965 to obtain a building permit from the state authorities. With the help of donations and the commitment of the community and church, the project could be pursued further. The events also caused a sensation worldwide, so that numerous items of equipment were donated for the church. Pope Paul VI donated money and a stone from an old basilica of Constantine the Great , which Wojtyła brought from Rome on December 11, 1965 and which was later used as the cornerstone for the construction of the church. After he blessed the building site on October 14, 1967, the foundation stone was laid on May 18, 1969 . On 17 May 1977 Wojtyla was finally the completed church on the patronage of the Mother of God, Queen of Poland , consecrate .
description
Church building
The church standing on a thoroughfare has the plan of an ellipse flattened to the east. The concrete facade is lined with around two million mountain river pebbles. On the south side, the church only has a skylight below the roof edge . The facade opens on the north side. Windows are framed in the upper two thirds, below the facade, which tapers to the west facade, is clad with slate. A total of seven portals - as a symbol of the seven sacraments - on the north, east and south sides lead into the church. The access to the Chapel of Reconciliation is located under the main entrance. On the west wall - also known as the sail wall because of its flowing design - there is a stone figure of Christ at rest from the 19th century. The figure also serves as a memorial for those who died during the planning period.
The eight-part carillon hangs on the south side outside the church on a bell cage arranged at right angles. Also on the south side, two flight of stairs lead from the lower forecourt to the church. On October 16, 2009, a life-size statue in honor of John Paul II was erected on one of the steps. For sermons outdoors there is a specially built open-air gallery in the east, where masses can be celebrated. To the east, a small anchor hangs from the roof of the church, on which is attached the wooden cross that the workers used in April 1960 when they were fought against by the communist regimes.
On the west side of the curved roof structure, a huge mast made of stainless steel rises up to a height of 70 meters in the form of a cross, with a golden crown halfway up. The roof surface forms a hollow that curves outwards on the sides.
Interior and equipment
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The plastic roof also arches inside the church. The ceiling consists of overlapping wooden elements that are reminiscent of the underside of the hull of a wooden ship. The altar made of white Carrara marble is criss-crossed with green veins. The altar table, which is flat and smoothly polished on the top and arched and uncut on the underside, symbolizes a hand on which the Lord's bread is placed. Under the altar are the remains of St. Stanisław, cast in amber , taken from the coffin in the cathedral at Wawel Castle. The tabernacle in the form of a piece of rock is framed in a circle and an ellipse made of metal and represents the cosmos in which God resides. The life-size, gaunt statue of the crucified Christ designed by the architect Pietrzyk is stretched outward and facing the sky - as if the figure wanted to detach itself from his crucifixion. Opposite the altar is the Chapel of Reconciliation . It is separated from the rest of the church by a wall. Their red and white color scheme symbolizes the path of martyrdom (red) and the path of victory (white).
On the west wall, a cylinder rises from the floor, which is composed of rectangular glass elements framed in steel. The so-called pillar of fire symbolizes the light that leads the chosen people into the promised land. Inside the cylinder there is a spiral staircase that leads to the church roof. The upper part of the cylinder is surrounded by a polygonal steel jacket that connects the glass cylinder with the wooden ceiling.
The Way of the Cross, painted on several surfaces, is by the artist Mariusz Lipiński.
Organ and bells
The organ from the Beckerath company in Hamburg was donated by Pastor Werenfried van Straaten . The organ building was directed by the composer and organist Jan Jargoń . It was inaugurated on November 25, 1979 and has 4,500 pipes from 5 millimeters to 7 meters high, works with a mechanical action and has three manuals and 44 registers . Your disposition is listed below:
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The bells bear the first names of the people who did their best to build the church: Karol (Wojtyła), Józef (Gorzelany), Bruno (Gryksa), Lonny (Glaser), Stanisław (Biela), Wojciech (Pietrzyk) , Jan (Norek) and Antoni (Pietraszek). The bells donated by Dutch Catholics hang on a beam on the outside of the church. This beam extends into the interior of the church, on which the image of Our Lady of Zbaraż hangs.
literature
- Józef Gorzelany: Arka Pana , 1988, ISBN 2-85316-059-9 .
Web links
- Official website of the Lord's Ark Church in Krakow (Polish)
- Podaj Kamień: jak budowano Arkę Pana - article on the construction of the Arka Pana Church (Polish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 42
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 15
- ↑ Klute, Walas-Klute, Fach, Schwenkros: Krakau: On the way between the Vistula and the High Tatras , Trescher Verlag 2006, ISBN 978-3-89794-088-8 , p. 121
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 65
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 25
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 31
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 35
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 58
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 57
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 50
- ↑ Disposition of the organ of the Church of Our Lady, Queen of Poland, in Cracow
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 46
- ↑ Gorzelany: Arka Pana , p. 45