Church of St. Dorota

 

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.