Basilicas in Poland—Wroclaw
I blogged about the following basilica on March 6, 2020.
- Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Wroclaw.
Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Wambierzyce, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1935.
A 1218 miracle attributed to Our Lady’s intercession led to the building of a succession of churches. The current church was built between 1712 and 1723. It has been administered by the Franciscans since 2007.
From a local source and Wikipedia
Basilica of St. Hedwig of Silesia, Trzebnica, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1943.
This church is part of a monastery that dates to the 13th Century. St. Hedwig is buried here. The church was Romanesque, but the Chapel of St. Hedwig was Gothic—the first of that style in Poland. Protestant expansion and fires in the 15th Century caused the monastery to decline. After Catholics returned to this area in the 17th Century, the church was restored in a Baroque style. In the early 18th Century, all 21 side altars were redone in a Rococo style. The monastery once again declined in the late 18th Century after the area became part of Protestant Prussia. The church was once again restored in the early 20th Century.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Krzeszow, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1998.
This church was built between 1728 and 1735 to be the church of a Cistercian abbey. It is rococo in style and has several murals. A Madonna and Child painting is thought to be the oldest Marian painting in Poland (early 13th Century).
The first two pictures are from local sources and the last two are from Wikipedia
Basilica of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, Olesnica, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1998.
The brick church was completed around 1230 and today features Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist, and Baroque architectural styles. The church, soon after its construction, became the church of a prince’s castle—some of the princes are buried here. The church was a Protestant church from 1538 to 1945 and was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Part of the church collapsed in 1905 and it was rebuilt and modernized by 1910.
All pictures are from Wikipedia
Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, Strzegom, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul II in 2002.
The Knights of St. John, established during the Crusades, built a church here in the 13th Century and replaced it with the current Gothic church that was mostly built between 1250 and 1390. This church was constructed with broken granite, basalt, and sandstone. The church was not completely finished until the early 16th Century.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Elizabeth, Wroclaw, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2003.
This Gothic church was built in the 14th Century but served as a Lutheran church from 1525 to 1946. At that time, it was given to Poland’s Military Chaplaincy. There is a monument to Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the grounds. Bonhoeffer was a native of the city and a Lutheran pastor who was a critic of the Nazis. The Nazis executed him in 1945.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. George the Martyr, Ziebice, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.
Parts of this church date to the 13th Century. Additions were made in later centuries.
From Wikipedia.
Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bardo, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.
The Baroque basilica was built between 1686 and 1704 overlooking the Nysa Klodzka River. Since 2004 it has also been known as the Metropolitan Sanctuary of Our Lady Guardian of the Holy Faith. It was built to house a statue known as the “Enthroned Madonna” which had attracted pilgrims. The church is currently administered by the Redemptorists.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Erasmus and St. Pancras, Jelenia Gora, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
The first church at this site burned around 1303. It was rebuilt in a Gothic style later that Century and again in the 15th and 16th Centuries. Baroque elements were added to the Gothic and Renaissance mix in the 18th Century.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas, Boleslawiec, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
A church has been here since the 13th Century. The current stone Gothic church was originally constructed in the mid-15th Century, but several expansions have been made over time. A 17th Century renovation resulted in a Baroque interior.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Hedwig of Silesia, Legnickie Pole, Lower Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.
The Baroque church was constructed between 1719 and 1729 for a Benedictine monastery. It replaced an earlier monastery that had been taken over by the Protestants. In 1810, Prussian authorities disbanded religious orders and the complex was turned over to the Prussian army. It has since been restored and returned to the Catholic Church.
Pictures are from the basilica website, a local source, and Wikipedia.
