The classicist church of St. Alexander on Three Crosses Square is undoubtedly one of the most famous churches in Warsaw. Although it is only 193 years old, its history is as stormy and complex as few of Warsaw's churches.
It was built during the Congress Kingdom in the form of a classicist rotunda modeled after the Roman Pantheon. It was thoroughly transformed and expanded in the spirit of the Neo-Renaissance at the end of the nineteenth century, after which it was almost completely destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising, and after the Second World War it was revived in a form similar to the original. The construction of the church began in June 1818 according to the project of the Christian Peter Aigner.
At first, the high pace of construction slowed down over time. Only in 1823 did the interior decoration begin. The complete completion of the construction of the church from the outside and the inside took place at the end of the spring of 1825. The consecration took place a year later, on June 18.1826.
In the same year, the church was surrounded by a fence consisting of stone pillars connected by iron chains. It was built at the expense of social contributions, mainly from state officials. The built church was based on a circular plan, having the appearance of a rotunda with six-column Corinthian porticos, from the south and north, and covered by a flat dome.
The interior of the temple was shaped by Aigner in miniature of the Pantheon in Rome. Beneath the church proper, the architect designed a "subterranean church for the use of the Holy Sepulcher" with a vault supported by a huge pillar. Over the years, the church turned out to be insufficient for the needs of the parish, because it was the only Catholic church in the southern part of Warsaw.
In April 1883 - seven years after Karolina Grodzitka donated part of her property to the city with the express purpose of expanding the Alexander Church, a tender was announced for its thorough reconstruction.
Meanwhile, from 1854 to 1875, four reconstruction projects were created (Henrik Marconi, Ignatius Kwiatkowski, Zygmunt Kislanski, Vladyslav Hirschel), which for various reasons, primarily financial, were not implemented. Project No. XI with the "Alpha Cross Omega" emblem by Jó zef Pius Dziekonski won the competition. He also took over the management of the works begun in July 1886. The completion date of the reconstruction was assumed to be 1895. The temple was continued in the southern direction, adding a nave with two towers to the facade. The part surrounding the Aigner rotunda was also erected, and the former sacristy was enlarged, moving its front wall with a portico towards Novy Svyat Street. The dome was raised, giving it a shape similar to that of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Reconstruction completely blurred the features of the classic style of the original building. From the outside, the church received a beautiful and rich sculptural decoration.
It remained in this condition until 1939, when it was damaged, but the damage was not serious. The areas around the church were then filled with the graves of those who died during the bombing.
The destruction of the temple took place on September 9-11.1944, when it was bombed by the Germans. Its ruins, sticking out in the middle of the burned Three Crosses Square, vividly resembled an ancient temple, collapsed by some powerful cataclysm. However, contrary to appearances, the destruction was not complete, as the lower church and the left tower of the upper church were preserved, as well as fragments of the rotunda walls and the heavily damaged portico on the side of the New Church. The parish sought to rebuild the church as soon as possible in the form given to it by Joseph Pius Dziekonsky. The obstacle was the historical architecture department of the Warsaw Bureau of Reconstruction, which demanded the reconstruction of the church in the form given to it by the Christian Peter Aigner.
In the end, however, a compromise was found and as a result of the decision of the nature conservation and church authorities, after extensive discussion in the metropolitan press, it was decided to dismantle the remains of the later nave and towers, lower the dome and restore the building to the original architectural form designed by Aigner. Reconstruction under the leadership of Stanislav Marzynski was completed in 1952.
Among the numerous works of art that were once kept in the church, the apse with the main altar designed by Dziekonsky, which houses the painting "Crucifixion" by an unknown painter of the eighteenth century, has been preserved to this day.
It was built during the Congress Kingdom in the form of a classicist rotunda modeled after the Roman Pantheon. It was thoroughly transformed and expanded in the spirit of the Neo-Renaissance at the end of the nineteenth century, after which it was almost completely destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising, and after the Second World War it was revived in a form similar to the original. The construction of the church began in June 1818 according to the project of the Christian Peter Aigner.
At first, the high pace of construction slowed down over time. Only in 1823 did the interior decoration begin. The complete completion of the construction of the church from the outside and the inside took place at the end of the spring of 1825. The consecration took place a year later, on June 18.1826.
In the same year, the church was surrounded by a fence consisting of stone pillars connected by iron chains. It was built at the expense of social contributions, mainly from state officials. The built church was based on a circular plan, having the appearance of a rotunda with six-column Corinthian porticos, from the south and north, and covered by a flat dome.
The interior of the temple was shaped by Aigner in miniature of the Pantheon in Rome. Beneath the church proper, the architect designed a "subterranean church for the use of the Holy Sepulcher" with a vault supported by a huge pillar. Over the years, the church turned out to be insufficient for the needs of the parish, because it was the only Catholic church in the southern part of Warsaw.
In April 1883 - seven years after Karolina Grodzitka donated part of her property to the city with the express purpose of expanding the Alexander Church, a tender was announced for its thorough reconstruction.
Meanwhile, from 1854 to 1875, four reconstruction projects were created (Henrik Marconi, Ignatius Kwiatkowski, Zygmunt Kislanski, Vladyslav Hirschel), which for various reasons, primarily financial, were not implemented. Project No. XI with the "Alpha Cross Omega" emblem by Jó zef Pius Dziekonski won the competition. He also took over the management of the works begun in July 1886. The completion date of the reconstruction was assumed to be 1895. The temple was continued in the southern direction, adding a nave with two towers to the facade. The part surrounding the Aigner rotunda was also erected, and the former sacristy was enlarged, moving its front wall with a portico towards Novy Svyat Street. The dome was raised, giving it a shape similar to that of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Reconstruction completely blurred the features of the classic style of the original building. From the outside, the church received a beautiful and rich sculptural decoration.
It remained in this condition until 1939, when it was damaged, but the damage was not serious. The areas around the church were then filled with the graves of those who died during the bombing.
The destruction of the temple took place on September 9-11.1944, when it was bombed by the Germans. Its ruins, sticking out in the middle of the burned Three Crosses Square, vividly resembled an ancient temple, collapsed by some powerful cataclysm. However, contrary to appearances, the destruction was not complete, as the lower church and the left tower of the upper church were preserved, as well as fragments of the rotunda walls and the heavily damaged portico on the side of the New Church. The parish sought to rebuild the church as soon as possible in the form given to it by Joseph Pius Dziekonsky. The obstacle was the historical architecture department of the Warsaw Bureau of Reconstruction, which demanded the reconstruction of the church in the form given to it by the Christian Peter Aigner.
In the end, however, a compromise was found and as a result of the decision of the nature conservation and church authorities, after extensive discussion in the metropolitan press, it was decided to dismantle the remains of the later nave and towers, lower the dome and restore the building to the original architectural form designed by Aigner. Reconstruction under the leadership of Stanislav Marzynski was completed in 1952.
Among the numerous works of art that were once kept in the church, the apse with the main altar designed by Dziekonsky, which houses the painting "Crucifixion" by an unknown painter of the eighteenth century, has been preserved to this day.
Translated automatically from Ukrainian. View original
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