Poland—2

This blog covers 7 ecclesiastical provinces in Southern Poland.

Province of Krakow

The province is in southern Poland.  The Diocese of Krakow was established in 1000 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1925.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus in Krakow dates to the 14th Century and was the coronation site for Polish kings and is the burial site for many Polish monarchs and other notable Poles, including St. Stanislaus, St. Hedwig, and Thaddeus Kosciuszko—a hero in the American Revolution—as well as many of Krakow’s bishops.  Father Karol Wojtyla—later Pope John Paul II—celebrated his first Mass at the Cathedral in 1946.  The Gothic cathedral has 18 chapels, many housing the elaborate sarcophagi with royal remains.  Two belfries contain 10 bells, some dating to the 16th Century.

The first picture is from Expedia and the rest from Wikipedia.  The last picture shows the tomb of St. Stanislaus.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Tarnow was established in 1786, but was suppressed in 1805.  It was restored as a diocese in 1821.
• The Diocese of Kielce was established in 1805, but was suppressed in 1818.  It was restored in 1882.  It acquired its current name in 1912.
• The Diocese of Bielsko-Zywiec was established in 1992.

Province of Wroclaw

The province is in southwestern Poland.  The Diocese of Wroclaw was established in 1000 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1930.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Wroclaw was built in a brick Gothic style in the 13th Century.  Fires in 1540 and 1759 caused extensive damage that was repaired.  Soviet bombs destroyed 70 percent of the Cathedral toward the end of the Second World War, but the damage was repaired by 1951.  The Cathedral has at least seven chapels.  The 14th Century Marian Chapel has a 19th Century marble statue of the Virgin and Child that survived the Soviet bombs.  Flames stopped in front of the statue, preserving the statue and three chapels.  The 1913 E.F. Walcker & Sons pipe organ is the largest pipe organ in Poland.  The Cathedral was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Pius X in 1907.

The first picture is from Flickr and the rest from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Legnica was established in 1992.
• The Diocese of Swidnica was established in 2004.

Province of Przemysl

The province is in southeastern Poland.  The Diocese of Przemysl was established in 1375 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1992.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist in Przemysl was originally built in a Gothic style in the 15th Century.  It was remodeled in a Baroque style in the 18th Century and partially returned to Gothic in the 19th Century.  Because invasions by foreign armies was a constant threat at the time, the Cathedral was built in a fortified matter, surrounded by a wall and equipped with a cannon.  The Cathedral has two domed chapels and a Gothic alabaster statue of the Virgin Mary dating to the 15th Century.  Pope John XXIII designated it as a minor basilica in 1960.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Rzeszow was established in 1992.
• The Diocese of Zamosc-Lubaczow was established in 1992.

Province of Lublin

The province is in southeastern Poland.  The Diocese of Lublin was established in 1375 as the Diocese of Chelm and became the Diocese of Chelm and Lublin in 1790.  It became the Diocese of Lublin in 1805 and the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lublin in 1992.  The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Lublin was built as a Jesuit church between 1592 and 1617.  It was one of the first Baroque churches in Poland.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Sandomierz was established in 1818.
• The Diocese of Siedlce was established in 1818 as the Diocese of Janow Podlaski and acquired its current name in 1925.

Province of Czestochowa

The province is in south central Poland.  The Diocese of Czestochowa was established in 1925 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1992.  The Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Family in Czestochowa was built in a neo-Gothic style between 1901 and 1927.  It was designated a minor basilica by Pope John Paul XXIII in 1962.

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Radom was established in 1992.
• The Diocese of Sosnowiec was established in 1992.

Province of Katowice

The province is in southwestern Poland.  The Apostolic Administration of Upper Silesia was established in 1922 and this became the Diocese of Katowice in 1925.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Katowice was created in 1992.

The Cathedral of Christ the King in Kotowice was built between 1927 and 1955 and is the largest metropolitan cathedral in Poland.  The neoclassical church is made of sandstone and its dome rises 195 feet above the floor.

All are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Opole was created in 1972.
• The Diocese of Gliwice was created in 1992.

Province of Lodz

The province is in south central Poland.  The Diocese of Lodz was established in 1920 and was raised to an archdiocese in 1992.  It became a metropolitan archdiocese in 2004.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Lodz was built between 1901 and 1912.  The neo-Gothic brick church is modeled after the Ulm Minster in Ulm, Germany.  The steeple is over 300 feet high.  Pope John Paul II declared the cathedral to be a minor basilica in 1989.

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

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

• The Diocese of Lowicz was established in 1992.  

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.  There are also jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include apostolic administrations which are missionary territories below the level of a diocese.

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.