St. Anne's Church, Warsaw

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St. Anne's Church

Façade with statues of the Four Evangelists.
Building information
Town Warsaw
Country Poland
Architect Chrystian Piotr Aigner (1788)
Construction start date 1454
Style Neoclassical (façade)
St. Anne's Church by Bernardo Bellotto.
St. Anne's Church by Bernardo Bellotto.
Patriotic demonstration before St. Anne's, February 27, 1861, ended in much bloodshed.
Patriotic demonstration before St. Anne's, February 27, 1861, ended in much bloodshed.

St. Anne's Church (Polish: Kościół św. Anny) is a church in the historic center of Warsaw, Poland, adjacent to the Castle Square, at Krakowskie Przedmieście 68. It is one of Poland's most notable churches with a Neoclassical facade. The church ranks among Warsaw's oldest buildings. Over time, it has seen many reconstructions, resulting in its present-day appearance, unchanged since 1788.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1454 Duchess of Masovia Anna Holszańska (Anne of Halshany), Ruthenian princess, founded this church with a cloister for the Franciscan friars (Order of Friars Minor).[1]

The square in front of the church was a place of solemn homages to Polish monarchs by the rulers of Prussia (first one in 1578, the last one in 1621).[2] In 1582 a slender tower was added to the church. Some time later it was encompassed with a rampart and incorporated into the city fortifications.

Kościół św. Anny was reconstructed several times in 1603, 1634, 1636 and in 1667 (it was heavily damaged during the siege of Warsaw and plundered by Swedish and German troops in 1650s).[3][4] Between 1740 and 1760 the facade was reconstructed in rococo style according to Jakub Fontana's design and decorated with two filigree belfries.[2] The walls and semicircular vault ceilings of the church, divided into bays, were decorated at that time with profuse paintings in perspective, using illusionary techniques and depicting scenes in the life of St. Anne. A chapel of Saint Ładysław was also decorated in this fashion. All paintings were by Friar Walenty Żebrowski.[2]

Kościół św. Anny was reconstructed for the last time between 1786 and 1788 by order of King Stanisław August Poniatowski.

During the Warsaw Uprising of 1794, part of the national Kościuszko Uprising in 1794, Bishop Józef Kossakowski, considered the traitor of the nation, was executed in front of the church (hanged with a great applause of the Warsaw inhabitants).[2]

The church was slightly damaged in a German air raid on Warsaw in 1939 (the roof and turrets were destroyed by fire and reconstructed by the architect Beata Trylińska).[1] It was later seriously damaged by shellfire of Wehrmacht soldiers after the collapse of the Warsaw Uprising.[1][3]

[edit] Façade and interior

The present façade was built in 1788 in a Neoclassical style typical of the reign of King Stanisław August Poniatowski, by Chrystian Piotr Aigner. Sculptors of that time were Jakub Monaldi and Franciszek Pinck, who carved statues of the Four Evangelists which decorate the façade.[2] The interior of the church is now in high-baroque style with several chapels. The church makes an overwhelming impression on the visitor with its surprisingly rich interior filled with frescoes.

[edit] Notes

In-line:
  1. ^ a b c (Polish) "Kościół Św. Anny", swanna.waw. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  2. ^ a b c d e (Polish) (1984) in Stefan Kieniewicz: Warszawa w latach 1526-1795. ISBN 83-01033-23-1. 
  3. ^ a b (Polish) "Kościół pw. św. Anny", warszawa1939.pl. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  4. ^ (Polish) "Wieża kościoła św. Anny", foto.kai.pl. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 

[edit] Gallery

St. Anne's about 1900
General view of interior
The St. Anne's bell tower

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 52°14′47″N, 21°0′51″E