Church of St. Anthony of Padua

The Church of St. Anthony of Padua or Church of St. Antoniego Padewskiego - a baroque Franciscan church built in the years 1701-1723, also serving as the parish church of St. st. Antoniego Padewski, located in Łódź in the Łagiewniki housing estate. In 1946, the church and the adjacent monastery were entered into the register of monuments; double sanctuary: St. Anthony of Padua and Bl. Rafał Chyliński.

 

History

Foundation and first buildings

The foundation of the Franciscan church (and monastery) in this place is associated with the story of the appearance of St. Antoni to the poor carpenter Jerzy, working for the owner of Łagiewniki, Samuel Żeleski. The church commissions appointed to investigate the circumstances of this event questioned the sworn witnesses, and the prepared documents were delivered to Rome by the papal nuncio Palavicini. On November 22, 1680, the Roman congregation issued a letter recognizing the authenticity of the revelations and allowing the approval of Samuel Żeleski's foundation.

The Franciscans, recognized as the legal guardians of the aforementioned place, could start construction. On the hill of Wysiadłnica (so-called from the place from which cattle returning from the field were looked for), a wooden chapel was first erected, dedicated to St. Antoni. After some time, it was moved to another place - to the Łagiewniki pond - where it is located to this day, next to the chapel of St. Roch and St. Sebastian.

A wooden church with 3 towers and a monastery were built on the site of the chapel. The date of completion of construction is not entirely certain. It is only known that in October 1682, with the participation of 15,000 faithful, the painting of St. Anthony to the new temple. Less than a year later, in August 1683, the temple was consecrated.

 

The construction of a brick temple

The number of believers coming to the sanctuary in Antonia was systematically growing, which meant that after a dozen or so years the wooden church was no longer able to accommodate all of them. The decision to erect a brick, larger church turned out to be a necessity. The previous wooden church was demolished, and the building material was used to erect 4 chapels nearby: Our Lady of the Angels, the Transfiguration, St. Valentine and St. Roch. Only the last of them has survived to our times.

In June 1701, the cornerstone was laid for the construction of the brick church of St. st. Anthony. It was a single-nave temple, on a Latin cross plan, with a semi-circular chancel. Originally, it had two sacristies (ca. 1824, the northern sacristy was rebuilt into the chapel of Father Rafał Chyliński). The whole construction - in difficult Saxon times - lasted as long as 23 years. The temple was consecrated on May 16, 1726 by the Archbishop of Gniezno, Primate Teodor Potocki, who was given a portrait with a commemorative inscription on the pilaster of the southern transept to commemorate the event.

In the transept of the church, apart from the side altars, there were also entrances to the underground crypts. The entrance (closed today) from the north led to the burial places of both the monks who died in Łagiewniki, as well as the more eminent benefactors of the monastery (including the donors of the land for the monastery and the church - Samuel Żeleski and his wife). The entrance from the south (open) leads to the crypt where the coffin with the mortal remains of Father Rafał Chyliński was located (after his beatification in 1991, the coffin was moved to the chapel named after him).

The two-storey main façade of the church faces west. In the lower storey of the pediment there is a large window, illuminating the church choir, and a protruding balcony. In the past, a local band used to play from this place during major celebrations. In the upper storey of the façade there is a recess, and in it - a polychrome sculpture of the patron of the church of St. Anthony with the baby Jesus in his arms and with a lily.

 

The times of the fall of the Republic

Over the next decades, the Franciscan church served as an important center of worship for the local faithful. Father Rafał Chyliński, now blessed, was here, where pilgrims were provided with pastoral services (confession, Holy Mass at the altar of St. Anthony, sermons, and even the possibility of accommodation for those coming from afar). Although after the partitions of Poland, the pilgrimage movement decreased significantly, but it did not stop (the local residents continued to come to the temple).

In 1843, thanks to the efforts of Father Anastazy Stępiński, the guardian of the time, a brick, two-storey belfry built on a square plan was erected next to the church. This belfry has survived to this day, hiding inside the third generation of bells (the previous ones did not survive the wars). They were often used, in accordance with the Latin sentence vivos voco, mortuos plango, fulgura frango (I invoke the living, I mourn the dead, I break the thunder). The current bells: Antoni (1,450 kg, ton es'), Franciszek (800 kg, ton fis') and Rafał (450 kg, ton b') were made by the Felczyński company from Gliwice and installed in 1983.

The most difficult period for the sanctuary was the time after the fall of the January Uprising. For the help given to the insurgents, the Franciscan monastery was dissolved (in November 1864) and its inhabitants were deported, leaving only one priest to serve the church. In later years, the pastoral service of the church in Łagiewniki was provided by diocesan priests from nearby Zgierz.

One of the few joyful events in those times was the establishment of the parish of St. st. Anthony of Padua and St. John the Baptist, which began operating on January 1, 1902. This happened as a result of efforts and numerous written requests from the local population.

Recent history
Both world wars caused significant damage. During major renovations carried out in the 1950s, m.in. the roof of the church, many elements of the altars were renovated, a new electrical and radio installation was installed, the crypt of Father Rafał Chyliński was renovated, the church was plastered outside and painted inside. Thanks to the renovation works - also carried out in later years - it was possible to preserve its old, 18th-century style. In 1946, the church, the adjacent monastery, the bell tower and the two surviving chapels of St. Anthony and St. Roch was entered into the register of monuments.

In 2002, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the existence of the parish, employees from Wawel carried out the conservation of both paintings of St. Anthony (miraculous and curtains) from the main altar. At the same time, on the summer altar in front of the church, a bas-relief with Christ and St. Antoni, whose author is the sculptor Wojciech Gryniewicz.

The renovated Franciscan church is very popular as one of the oldest preserved Baroque monuments in Łódź. In addition to serving as a parish church, it is the place of the priestly ordination of the Franciscans from the nearby seminary. In the summer, music concerts are organized there, and many young couples decide to get married there.

 

Interior architecture

Church of St. Antoniego is characterized by a baroque, richly decorated interior. It consists of polychrome altars, numerous paintings and sculptures with gilding, confessionals, epitaphs, a pulpit and organs. Most of them date from the 17th or 18th century.

 

Main altar of St. Anthony

The main polychrome altar of St. Anthony was founded in 1723 by the then guardian of the monastery - Father Antoni Trevani. In the central part of the altar there are two paintings of the Saint of Padua. The first (internal) one dates from the 17th century and is covered with a silver, gilded dress in the Regency style - a transition between Baroque and Rococo. The second painting (which is the curtain of the first one) comes from the 18th century. Antoni is depicted in a very popular way: dressed in a gilded habit, he holds a lily in his right hand (a symbol of innocence), and with his left arm he hugs Baby Jesus.

Above, on the second floor, there is a statue of the Immaculate Mother of God in an oval frame. She is accompanied – on her sides – by angels in moving poses. At the top of the altar, in a heart-shaped frame, there is a sculpture of Crucified Jesus. Angels standing on both sides of the cross hold attributes of the Passion in their hands.

 

Side chapel of Bl. Raphael

Chapel of Bl. Rafał Chyliński is located in the northern part of the church, in the place of the former sacristy. Around 1824, it was rebuilt thanks to the efforts of the then guardian, Father Karol Chełstowski. These activities were aimed at preparing a worthy place where the relics of the Servant of God Father Rafał Chyliński would be placed after his possible beatification in the future. This beatification took place only in 1991.

At the beginning. In the 19th century, in the altar in the chapel, there was a painting of the Transfiguration of Jesus, and later - a cross. Currently, this place is occupied by a painting of Bl. Rafał Chyliński, by a contemporary painter. At the foot of the altar there is a coffin with the relics of the blessed, covered with a metal grate.

 

North transept

In the northern transept of the church there are two baroque, polychrome altars with gilding: Our Lady of the Scapular and St. Maximilian Kolbe. The altar of Our Lady of the Scapular, also known as Our Lady of Consolation, was built thanks to the efforts of Father Andrzej Karaszkiewicz, one of the superiors of the monastery, and financed by contributions from the faithful. In the middle of the altar there is a 17th-century oil painting of Our Lady with the Child in a silver dress from the mid-19th century. 18th century. The upper storey of the altar presents sculptures depicting the scene of the Annunciation. At the top of the altar there is a figure of Christ with a ball in his hand.

The 17th-century altar of St. Maksymilian Kolbe is made of linden wood. It is located on the right side of the altar of Our Lady of the Scapular, where the altar of St. Joseph. In its central part there is an image of St. Maksymilian, painted by the Łódź artist-painter Gintown-Dziewałtowski. In the storey above there is a painting of Bl. Salomea, and on the sides - figures of little angels accompanying the figures of saints.

 

Choir and 24-voice organ

The choir of the church, supported by two massive pillars, is located above the cross-vaulted porch. The organ in the choir, set in a larch rococo case from the 18th century, was initially eleven-voice. They have undergone extensive repairs several times.

In the 1980s, a decision was made to carry out another major renovation, at the same time increasing the number of voices to 24. A hired company built a new organ in 1987, and installed it in the church choir the following year. The organ has two manuals and a pedal, a total of 24 voices, and flap-bolt windchests. Today, they are used both for liturgical purposes (Holy Masses and church services) and for organizing concerts (e.g. a summer music festival).

 

South Transept

The southern transept of the church faces the adjacent monastery. In the transept there are two altars: St. Francis and Divine Mercy. The polychrome baroque altar of St. Francis was built in the 17th century. In its main field there is an oil painting of the stigmatization of St. Francis. Francis. Above, in the finial of the altar, there is an image of the second patron of the temple - St. John the Baptist, surrounded by angels playing trumpets.

To the left of the altar of St. Franciszek, the altar of Divine Mercy is located. Formerly in this place there was an altar of blessed. Salomea, Duchess of Halych, later Poor Clares. In the central part of the present altar there is an image of the Merciful Christ with the caption: Jesus, I trust in You. On the other hand, in the upper storey of the altar there is a painting of St. Stanisław Kostka, surrounded by carved angels.

 

Other items of equipment

Pulpit. Located in the pilaster of the northern wall of the church, wooden, with gilding, it comes from the 18th century. On the back wall there is an oil painting depicting St. Francis, and on the roof of the pulpit - a sculpture of St. Anthony, dating from the 18th century.
Altar of St. Didaka from Alkali. It is located on the north side of the nave, next to the pulpit. An eighteenth-century oil painting depicts the figure of St. Didacus of Alkali, a Spanish Franciscan saint. At the top of the altar there is a statue of St. Michael the Archangel fighting Satan.
confessionals. Of the four confessionals in the church, two (set in the transept) come from the eighteenth century. Two more, made of oak, made today on the model of historic ones, are placed in the nave near the entrance to the church.
Altar of Jesus Crucified. The polychrome altar with gilding is located on the right, southern side of the nave. In its central part there is an 18th-century painting of Jesus Crucified (oil painting, Polish school).
The former crypt of Father Rafał. It is located in the southern transept of the church. Until 1991, there was a coffin with the mortal remains of Father Rafał Chyliński.
Epitaphs. Three epitaphs in the temple commemorate historical events:
Pope Benedict XIII - epitaph placed on the pilaster in the northern part of the transept; during the pontificate of this pope, the church in Łagiewniki was built;
the Stokowski family - an epitaph made of black marble and placed in the presbytery as a proof of the monastery's gratitude to the benefactor Kacper Stokowski and his family;
Primate Teodor Potocki - an epitaph painted on the pilaster in the southern part of the transept, commemorating the consecration of the church made by this archbishop.

The altar of Our Lady of Czestochowa. According to tradition, Bl. Rafal Chylinski. Currently, the altar (with an old painting of Our Lady of Częstochowa in a silver dress) is located in the passage from the church to the sacristy.
Sacristy. In the sacristy, built on a level lower than the church floor, there are the following historic buildings:
oil painting (probably from the 18th century) of St. Petronella at intercessory prayer;
A 19th-century large-format painting depicting Bl. Raphael distributing alms;
liturgical vestments - chasubles and dalmatics - from the 17th and 18th centuries;
an oil painting by Jan Łobdowczyk, called the blessed (1st half of the 18th century, Polish school);
processional flag embroidered with silver thread with the figure of St. Anthony, dating from 1735.