Churches, Warsaw

In 2004, the Bydgoszcz Fara Church was raised to the rank of Cathedral of the Diocese of Bydgoszcz by the decree of Holy Father John Paul II. However, for many centuries and for dozens of generations of Bydgoszcz residents, it had been the only and most prominent municipal church. http://www.visitbydgoszcz.pl/en/explore/what-to-see/1393-bydgoszcz-cathedral

The conventuals (black friars) settled in Poznań in the 17th c. The church was commissioned from Jan Koński and built atop Castle Hill (presently Przemysł Hill) in the years 1674-1757. The monastery was erected in the years 1672-1749 east of the church but it was partly dismantled after the suppression of the order in 1834; only the north part survived to the present day. http://www.poznan.pl/mim/turystyka/en/church-of-st-anthony-of-padua,poi,2471/church-of-st-anthony-of-padua,39371.html

Keeping watch over Europe’s second largest market square for the last seven centuries, the imposing Gothic spires of St. Mary’s Basilica have become a veritable symbol of Kraków itself and a focal point in the stories that make up the city’s mythic and historical past. http://visitkrakow.com/city/st-marys-basilica/

It’s Poland’s Westminster Cathedral, the absolute focal point of the country’s religious history, crowning place of kings and queens and architectural overseer of the famous Cracovian gothic skyline. Wawel Cathedral sits in the heart of the royal palace and castle complex that dominates the hill of the same name, on the south side of Krakow’s old town. http://visitkrakow.com/city/the-wawel-cathedral/

Katowice's oldest existing Catholic parish church was built from Silesian dolomite, not the usual red brick, between 1862 and 1870 to a design by the famous Breslau (Wrocław) architect Alexis Langer. Originally planned on a far grander scale than it was eventually built, the 43m-long, 31m-wide neo-Gothic building features an eye-catching, trademark Langer 71m octagonal tower and a feast of good things inside. The altar in the transept supposedly dates from the 15th century, whilst the wonderful stained glass windows on either side of the nave representing sin and virtue are the work of Adam Bunsch (1896-1969). The Chapel of the Holy Sacrament includes a likeness of Father Emil Szramek in traditional Silesian dress. Szramek was the parish priest from 1926 until his arrest by the Gestapo in April 1940. Sent to a number of concentration camps including Dachau, where he quickly became a spiritual leader for other incarcerated Silesian priests, he was murdered on January 13, 1942. https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/st-marys-church_32645v

St. Mary's Cathedral (Katedra Niepokalanego Poczecia N.M.P) is a gothic church erected between 1300-1333. Initially serving as a Catholic church, the building was from the 16th century till the end of World War II a temple for the Protestant faith. Since 1945 it again is a Catholic house of worship. http://www.visitpomerania.eu/cities/koszalin/attractions/saint-marys-cathedral/

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the largest brick church in the world, went through several stages of development over the period from 1343 to 1502. Its interior displays many exquisite pieces of Medieval and Baroque art, including the stone Pieta from about 1410, a copy of the Last Judgement by Hans Memling, the original canvas dating back to 1472, the astronomical clock built by Hans Düringer between 1464 and 1470 and the main altar put up between 1510 and 1517. http://www.gdansk.pl/en/for-tourists/Tourist-Attractions,a,12042

Surrounded by the river Oder, the old burgh, the origin of the city, has fantastic architecture. The greatest ones are the Gothic St. John Baptist cathedral, rebuilt after World War II and Holy Cross church. https://visitwroclaw.eu/en/place/ostrow-tumski-en

The Dominican Church, now the Greek Catholic Church of the Holy Eucharist, is a magnificent monument of the late Baroque; it is adorned with original sculptures. http://lviv.travel/en/index/what_to_do/architecturelviv/historicalplaces/~1480/the-dominican-church

The Greek-Catholic Dormition Church can’t brag with majestic architectural shapes and luxurious decoration. Being simple and at the first sight unremarkable, it is reckoned among the Rivne key sights, though. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/rivne/1056

An elegant building of the former Carmelite Church is situated outside the Old Town, in which Lviv’s main architectural gems are located, but is not inferior to them in its beauty and historical value. The imposing cathedral, standing at the foot of the High Castle, draws attention with its refined towers, crowned with pointed spires, and elegant decoration, as well as with breathtaking views of the Lviv historical center that open from the observation area in front of the catholic church. The monumental stone stairs lead there. Carmelite monks came to Lviv in the 16th century and chose the marshy area in the Krakiv suburb of the medieval city. A hundred years later, they managed to get a plot of land from the city council, which was closer to the city walls and where they planned to build a monastery and to lay out a garden. It is considered that the construction of the Carmelite cloister started in 1634. First, the Catholic Church was raised, and later, monastic cells and courtyard were added to it. The monastery, built outside Lviv’s eastern fortification line and surrounded with powerful defensive walls, was supposed to become a fortress, providing additional protection to the city. However, ironically it turned out the other way around. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/lviv/1357

The Jesuit St. Peter and Paul Cathedral majestically standing in the very heart of the historic Lviv is one of the town's largest and most important cultic buildings. Located in the Old Town's longest street. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/lviv/857

The oldest architectural monument in the city, dated to the 2nd half of the 14th century.The cathedral has a triple-nave hall arrangement with a separate presbytery. Inside there are a neo-Gothic alter, late Gothic sculptures of Saint Hedwig and Saint Anna Samotrzec, a Baroque choir and a series of stone slabs with epitaphs. http://www.cit.zielona-gora.pl/article,en,206,monuments.html

The Cathedral of St. Stanislav and St. Vladislav is the most important place of worship for Lithuania’s Catholics, and the venue for the country’s main Christian and national festivities. http://vilnius-tourism.lt/en/what-to-see/places-to-visit/churches/cathedral-basilica/

The temple was erected as a proof of grace of the catholic Emperor of Austria for the Silesian evangelicals. Under the arrangement concluded in Altranstädt after a religious war they were granted the right to build six churches in Silesia which at that time was under Austrian rule. http://en.jeleniagora.pl/content/church-elevation-holy-cross

You simply should not miss the Olomouc castle site situated on the Wenceslas Hill! Right here in 1306, the last Přemyslid, the Czech king Wenceslas III, was assassinated. You can admire the Bishop's Palace with its famous Romanesque windows, the gothic St. Wenceslas Cathedral, today the seat of the Archbishop of Olomouc, or the Archdiocesan Museum founded on the initiative of Pope John Paul II. http://tourism.olomouc.eu/sights/olomouc-castle/en

The three domes of the St. Michael’s Church are one of the most distinctive landmarks of the city. This Baroque church was rebuilt from the original Gothic church and was consecrated probably in 1251. http://tourism.olomouc.eu/sights/cathedrals-churches-and-chapels/detail=223/en

Dub nad Moravou and the pilgrimage temple of the Purge of the Virgin Mary, which is dominated by the whole of Haná. The first mention of this Haná town is from 1141, when the settlement is mentioned as the property of the Olomouc capital church. http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1185264473-poutni-mista/308298380210004-dub-nad-moravou/

The gothic brick building of the Church of the Holy Spirit ranks among the major historic sights of the town. It was established by Queen Eliška Rejčka in 1307. In 1424, Jan Žižka of Trocnov, major military leader of the Hussite movement, was temporarily buried here. http://www.kralovehradecko-info.cz/en/atraktivity/hradec-kralove/prochazkovy-okruh-1.php

The Church of the Saints Peter and Paul (Kościół św. Piotra i św. Pawła) was built on the place where already in the 12th century a wooden church was erected as part of the Christianization by bishop Otto von Bamberg. http://www.visitpomerania.eu/cities/szczecin/attractions/church-of-st-peter-and-paul/

Having absorbed baroque and renaissance traits, the building of the parish Church of Virgin Mary is among the most beautiful and most valuable architectural monuments in Ivano-Frankivsk. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/ivano-frankivsk/786

The majestic Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection, whose slender silhouette adorns town's main square (Rynok), reckons among the most beautiful and famous architectural monuments of Ivano-Frankivsk. Strolling through town, it's impossible to oversee its luxurious light building that absorbed the brightest baroque and classicism traits! The temple owes its origin to Jesuit monks. They came to Ivano-Frankivsk in the early 18th century and founded a catholic church on the place of the older church, burnt during Turks' siege of the town. From the very beginning, it was clear that the cathedral's destiny would be unusual: when constructors were digging the trench for future temple's foundation, they found a real treasure - 14 thousand zlotys. Their greater part was spent on the church's building. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/ivano-frankivsk/785

Visitor of the city are welcome to silently stay, listen to organ and choir concerts and look at exhibitions inside the church. Tower climbing can be done every day starting 10 am in the morning. http://cottbus-tourismus.de/en/experience-and-detection/culture-units/article-evangelische-oberkirche-st-nikolai-lutheran-upper.html

Once a small Romanesque Basilica on Petrov Hill, later rebuilt in the Gothic style, the cathedral was built in 1777 after the Brno bishopric was created. Now its two tall towers, together with Špilberk Castle , form the characteristic silhouette of the city of Brno. In addition to the interior, the Romanesque-Gothic crypt and view from the two towers are a must. The Diocesan Museum and Information Centre is located nearby. The noon ringing at 11 o’clock is part of the legend of the Swedish siege during the Thirty Years War. http://www.czechtourism.com/c/brno-st-peter-and-pauls-cathedral/

The Cathedral of St Barbara, a jewel of the Late Gothic period and one of the four cathedral-type buildings in Bohemia, was incribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady and St John the Baptist and the historical centre of Kutná Hora. http://destinace.kutnahora.cz/d/cathedral-of-st-barbara

For more than seven centuries St Mary’s Church has presumed to be the greatest and most important historical building of Neubrandenburg. Its eastern gable counts to the most aesthetic creations of Brick Gothic in Northern Germany. https://www.neubrandenburg-touristinfo.de/en/city-portrait/monuments-and-sights

The magnificent dome of the Cathedral Church (Berliner Dom) is one of the main landmarks in Berlin’s cityscape – and marks the spot of the impressive basilica housing the city’s most important Protestant church. With its elaborate decorative and ornamental designs, the church interior is especially worth seeing. Yet although the church is known as a cathedral, it actually has the status of a parish church – though not just any parish. This was the court church to the Hohenzollern dynasty, the rulers of Prussia and later the German Emperors. Today, as the High Parish and Cathedral Church, the church serves the Protestant community in Berlin and the surrounding areas. The congregation is not based on place of residence, but open through admission to all baptised Protestants in the region. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-cathedral

Just past the gate, we find ourselves next to a set of buildings that make up the Gothic Augustinian Monastery and the Church of St. Jiljí and the Blessed Virgin Mary the Queen. The monastery was founded in 1367 and greatly contributed to the development of education and arts in southern Bohemia. http://www.visittrebon.cz/en/trebon-places-of-interest/21/

The biggest, most important, most beautiful. The Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle is a place of so many superlatives. Above all, it’s the spiritual symbol of the Czech nation and the resting place of Czech history’s greatest rulers. Come and learn the story of this fascinating architectural masterpiece which is among the most important cathedrals in Europe. Once you are standing in the heart of the cathedral you will feel a real rush of history. Massive pillars support magnificent vaulting, and everything is illuminated by the sun’s rays glinting through the beautifully decorated stained glass windows. The most important part of the cathedral is the exquisite St. Wenceslas Chapel, where the priceless Bohemian coronation jewels are stored behind seven locks. In the cathedral you will also find the tombs of saints, kings, princes and archbishops, the most important of which are the resting places of St. John of Nepomuk and King Charles IV. You can conclude your visit to the cathedral with an ascent of the top of the south tower, where you will be rewarded with an amazing panorama of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. http://www.czechtourism.com/c/prague-st-vitus-cathedral/

The Reformed Great Church of Debrecen is one of the most significant Classicist historic buildings of Hungary. It was designed by Mihály Péchy, and built between 1805 and 1822. Its north-south nave (with the organs at its two ends and with the pulpit at its north end) is 38 m long and 14 m wide; its east-west aisle is 55 m long and 15 m wide. http://www.debrecencity.com/en/debrecen/culture/churches/the_reformed_great_church

Built in Baroque and Louis Seize style, the church was elevated to cathedral rank by Pope John Paul II in 1993. A certified replica of the Turin Shroud has been on display in the building since 2011. 2015 has been designated as Catholic Memorial Year, to mark the tercentenary of the movement started to reorganize practices and activities of the Catholic faithful in Debrecen. https://www.debrecen.hu/en/tourist/places/st-annes-cathedral

Officially known as the Church of St Elizabeth of Hungary, but commonly referred to simply as ‘the Blue Church’ for obvious reasons, this is Bratislava’s most appealing art nouveau building. Its style, sometimes known as Hungarian Secession, is repeated in the nearby grammar school on Grösslingová Street. Both were designed by Budapest architect Edmund Lechner and built in the early twentieth century (the church was consecrated on 11 October, 1913). Both the interior and exterior of the church are painted in shades of pale blue and decorated with blue majolica; even the roof is tiled with blue-glazed ceramics. The structure incorporates a 36.8-metre round tower. https://www.visitbratislava.com/places/blue-church/

A three-nave Gothic church from the 15th century and the former coronation church. A gilded replica of the coronation crown fixed on the top of the cathedral tower at a height of 85 metres and weighing 150 kg reminds of this glorious age. https://www.visitbratislava.com/places/st-martins-cathedral/