Lodz, like any other Polish city, over time was joined by the
surrounding villages, one of which was a village called Mileszki.
The Church of St. Dorota, built in this village, is now considered
one of the most ancient structures in Lodz.
On the site of
the church of St. Dorota, there used to be a church of St. John the
Baptist. It was founded in the 14th century, but it was built of
wood, which by the beginning of the 15th century was in a terrible
state. Therefore, in order to avoid destruction, the church was
decided to be dismantled. In 1438, a new church was built in its
place, and not only Saint John the Baptist, but also Saint Anna was
chosen as its patrons. Funds for the construction of the new temple
were allocated by the owner of the village Setsekh, who served as a
hunter for the king.
At the beginning of the 16th century,
Secekh's granddaughter Anna married Yakub Romishevsky, who inherited
the estate in Mileshki. And also all the lands adjacent to it. It
was this gentleman who financed the construction of a new church on
the site of a dilapidated old church. This new church existed until
1766, when a sudden fire broke out almost completely destroyed it.
They did not reconstruct the church, but in the same year, in the
best traditions of the local places, a new one was built on the
ashes. This new temple was consecrated in the name of Saint Dorota.
This is what we see at the present time.
During the
construction of the Church of St. Dorota, larch logs were used, the
nave was covered with a roof of tiles. A little later, a bell tower
was erected next to the church. The temple stood almost unchanged
until the First World War, during which the tower was completely
destroyed. The building of the church was also damaged during the
hostilities. It was rebuilt, a portal was added, above which a new
bell tower was erected.
In the interior of the church, you
can see three altars that have survived from the late Renaissance.