Poland—1

Catholicism first came to Poland in the 9th Century and Poland became a Catholic nation in the 10th Century.  The Protestant Reformation was successful in cities and among the elite, but a Jesuit counter-reformation was completed successfully in the 17th Century.  Poland’s territory expanded and contracted over the last millennium and foreign invasions have been frequent and often successful.  Catholicism has served as a unifying factor in Polish nationalism. 

Poland has 38 million people and 86 percent are Catholic.   There are 14 Roman-rite provinces in Poland and one Ukrainian-rite province.  In addition, there is an ordinariate for Eastern-rite Catholics (other than Ukrainian) established in 1981 and led by the Archbishop of Warszawa.  There is also a military diocese that was established in 1919, suppressed in 1947, and restored in 1991.

This blog covers 7 ecclesiastical Roman-rite provinces in Northern Poland and one Ukrainian-rite province.

Province of Gniezno

The province is in north central Poland.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Gniezno was established in 1000.  The Archbishop of Gniezno also has the title of Primate of Poland.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert in Gniezno is a brick Gothic church that once served as the coronation site of Polish kings.  Although a church has existed here since the late 9th Century, the existing Cathedral dates mostly to the 14th Century.  The building has survived fires, occupation by Napoleon’s army, and heavy damage by Soviet bombing during the Second World War.  It was restored in the 1950s and 1960s.  The Cathedral is noted for bronze doors dating to 1175 depicting scenes of the martyrdom of St. Adalbert.  The Saint is buried in a silver coffin under a gold baldachin.  Above the altar is a 15th Century Gothic crucifix made from a linden tree.  Some of the chapels date to the 14th Century.  Pope Pius XI declared the Cathedral to be a minor basilica in 1931.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.  The second picture is of the tomb of St. Albert.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Wloclawek was created in 996.
• The Diocese of Bydgoszcz was created in 2004.

Province of Warszawa (Warsaw)

The province is in north central Poland.  The Diocese of Warszawa was created in 1798 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1818.

The Gothic Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Warszawa was built in the 14th Century.  The Cathedral served as the coronation and burial site for the Dukes of Mazovia.  The church was almost entirely destroyed by the Germans during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.  The destruction included several works of art.  The Cathedral was rebuilt after the war based on how it looked in the 14th Century.  Artists and at least two presidents of Poland are buried in the Cathedral.  Pope John XXIII declared the Cathedral a minor basilica in 1961.

The first picture is from Expedia and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Plock was established in 1075.
• The Diocese of Warszawa-Praga was established in 1992.

Province of Poznan

The province is in northwestern Poland.  The Diocese of Poznan was established in 968 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Poznan in 1948.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul was the first cathedral in Poland.  Parts of this 10th Century cathedral can be found in the current Cathedral.  The Cathedral has survived many fires and has been rebuilt over the centuries in Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and neo-Classical styles.  There are 12 chapels, some of which contain sarcophagi of early Polish kings.  The Cathedral’s main altar has a multi-paneled polyptych depicting Our Blessed Mother surrounded by 14 female saints.  The crypt has a 10th Century baptismal font believed to be the one used to baptize Poland’s first king.  Pope John XXIII designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1962.

The first three pictures are from Expedia, the fourth from Panaramio, and the others from Wikipedia.

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

• The Diocese of Kalisz was established in 1992.

Province of Szczecin-Kamien

The province is in northwestern Poland.  The Diocese of Wollin was established in 1140 and became the Diocese of Kamien in 1175.  The Diocese was suppressed in 1545 before being restored as the Diocese of Szczecin-Kamien in 1972.  It became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1992.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle in Szczecin was built in the 14th Century in a Romanesque style.  It has been damaged by storms and wars over the centuries, but was significantly damaged during the Second World War.  It was rebuilt in the 1970s and has a 196-foot tower.  The people of Pomerania became Lutheran at the time of the Reformation and St. James served the Pomeranian Evangelical Church until after the Second World War when the territory once again became part of Poland.  Pope John Paul II named the cathedral a minor basilica in 1983.

From Pinterest and Wikipedia.

Construction of the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Kamien began in 1180 and work was ongoing in 1308 when foreign invaders destroyed the Romanesque building.  Work resumed using the Gothic style until the building was completed in the late 1400s.  St. John’s was a Lutheran church between 1535 and the end of the Second World War.  The brick Cathedral has a neo-Gothic tower and features a triptych in the main altar dating to 1520, a 14th Century Gothic baptismal font, a 15th Century crucifix, 16th Century paintings, and 17th Century pipe organs.

All are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg was established in 1000 but was suppressed in 1015.  It was restored in 1972.
• The Diocese of Zielona Gora-Gorzow was established as the Diocese of Gorzow in 1972 and acquired its current name in 1992.

Province of Warmia

The province is in northeastern Poland.  The Diocese of Warmia was created in 1243 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Warmia in 1992.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Andrew in Frombork was built in the 14th Century with brick in a Gothic style.  Copernicus, who worked as a canon in the Cathedral in the 16th Century, is buried there.  The Cathedral was severely damaged during the Second World War and has been rebuilt.  Pope Paul VI named the Cathedral a minor basilica in 1965.

The top picture is from TripAdvisor and the bottom picture is from Wikipedia.

The Gothic Co-Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Olsztyn was built with red brick during the 14th and 15th Centuries.  The Cathedral was seriously damaged during the Napoleonic wars but was spared during the First and Second World Wars.  The Cathedral has a medieval tabernacle, Renaissance paintings, Baroque statues of saints, and a 17th Century baptismal font.  Pope John Paul II designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 2004.

The first picture is from TripAdvisor and the other two are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Elblag was established in 1992. 
• The Diocese of Elk was established in 1992.

Province of Gdansk

The province is in northern Poland.  The Apostolic Administration of Gdansk was established in 1922 and this became a diocese in 1925.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Gdansk was created in 1992.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Trinity, Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Bernard is located in the Oliwa neighborhood of Gdansk and is often referred to as the Oliwa Cathedral.  The brick Cathedral is built on the site of a Cistercian monastery and has been destroyed by wars and fires several times.  The current building was completed in the late 16th Century.  The Cathedral is over 300 feet in length and has two 150-foot towers and a Baroque entrance.  There are 23 altars, mostly built in Baroque and Rococo styles, with 17th Century altar paintings, and there are also tombs of several Dukes of Pomerania.  The Cathedral has two pipe organs.  The great organ was built in the 18th Century and had 5,100 pipes and 83 registers.  At the time it was built, it was the largest pipe organ in Europe.  It has been renovated several times.  The choir organ dates to the 16th Century.  Pope Paul VI designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1976.

All are from Wikipedia

The Co-Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gdansk is one of the largest brick churches in the world and can hold 25,000 people.  It was built between 1343 and 1502 and served as a Lutheran church from the 16th to the 20th Century when many of the residents of what was then known as Danzig were German.  The church was severely damaged by the Soviet Army in 1945.  It was shortly thereafter that Poles expelled many Germans from the new boundaries of Poland, which included Danzig, now Gdansk.  Reconstruction took from 1946 to 1955.  The Gothic cathedral has a 260-foot tower, 31 chapels, 37 windows, and 300 graves.  The main altar has a Gothic polyptych from the early 1500s depicting the Coronation of Mary.  There are several Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque paintings dating to the 15th Century.  The Cathedral also features an astronomical clock built in 1464.  Pope Paul VI designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1965.

All are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Pelplin was initially established as the Diocese of Chelmno in 1243 and obtained its current name in 1992.
• The Diocese of Torun was established in 1992.

Province of Bialystok

The province is in northeastern Poland.  The Diocese of Bialystok was created in 1991 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1992.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bialystok was originally constructed in a Renaissance style in the 17th Century.  The building was greatly expanded in the early 20th Century in a neo-Gothic style and today can hold 9,500 people.  The two towers are each 240 feet high.  Pope John Paul II declared the cathedral to be a minor basilica in 1985.  The Cathedral Basilica’s website is katedrabialostocka.pl.

Both are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Lomza was created as the Diocese of Sejny o Sejna o Augustow in 1798 and became the Diocese of Lomza in 1925.
• The Diocese of Drohiczyn was created in 1991.

Province of Przemysl-Warszawa

The province consists of the 55,000 Ukrainian-rite Catholics in Poland.  The Diocese of Przemysl was established in 1087 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Przemysl-Warszawa in 1996.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Przemysl was built by the Jesuits in the 17th Century.  By the late 18th Century, after Austrian conquest of the region and after the suppression of the Jesuits, the church was abandoned and turned into a storehouse.  It was eventually restored and reconsecrated as a Roman Catholic church in 1904.  Pope John Paul II gave the church in 1991 to the Ukrainian-rite Catholics to serve as their cathedral.

Both are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Wroclaw-Gdansk was created in 1996 and renamed Wroclaw-Koszalin in 2020.

• The Diocese of Olsztyn-Gdansk was created in 2020.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.

Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite.  Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage.  Many Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches.  Eastern rite churches trace their heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

A basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  Some cathedrals are also basilicas.  Each basilica has a ceremonial umbrella in the papal colors of white and yellow and a ceremonial bell.  Both of these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.