| St. Barbara Church | |
|---|---|
| Warszawa 8308.jpg | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Romanesque |
| Town or city | Warsaw |
| Country | Poland |
| Construction started | 1880 |
| Completed | 1883 |
| Demolished | 1944 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Edward Cichocki (19th century), Stanisław Marzyński (post-war reconstruction) |
St. Barbara Church (Polish: Kościół Świętej Barbary) is a Roman Catholic church in the Śródmieście district of Warsaw, Poland.
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The origins of the church date back to 1781, when a small chapel was erected at the Świętokrzyski Cemetery. In 1866 the cemetery chapel was turned into the parish church. The surroundings of the small church rapidly developed in the second half of the 19th century. The church, though located in the central part of Warsaw, had capacity of only 200 people. New building was much needed. Since the 1880 the new building has been built. In June 1883 the church was ceremonially consecrated by Archbishop Wincenty Popiel.[1] The new three-nave building could hold 3,000 people.
At the beginning of World War II, it was damaged, when the ammunition located in the church exploded.[1] The church witnessed heavy fighting during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.[1] After the fall of the uprising, Nazi authorities expelled the clergy and worshippers and detonated the building.[1] The destruction was heavy, as only foundations and basements survived. Since 1946 the church has been gradually re-built again. The reconstruction was finally finished in November 1957 and consecrated by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.[1] While the exterior of the church is similar to the pre-war one, its interior is different.