Church of Our Lady of Consolation
Short summary
1900-1903
Neo-Gothic, in the so-called Vistula Gothic style
ul. ks. Prymasa Stefana Wyszyńskiego 5, 96-300 Żyrardów
parish church of the Parish of Our Lady of Consolation
the main Roman Catholic parish church in Żyrardów
active church; the interior is accessible outside service times
The building description was prepared in consultation with the staff of the Museum of Western Mazovia in Żyrardów.
Discover the history
By the end of the 19th century, the small Church of St Charles Borromeo was no longer able to accommodate the rapidly growing Catholic population of Żyrardów. After the independent Parish of Our Lady of Consolation was established in 1898, preparations began for the construction of a much larger church that would meet the needs of the expanding Factory Settlement.
In 1899, Count Feliks Sobański donated a plot of land for the new church. Construction began on 30 April 1900, and on 9 September the foundation stone was blessed by the Archbishop of Warsaw, Wincenty Teofil Chościak-Popiel. The church was designed by Józef Pius Dziekoński, one of the most important Polish architects specialising in ecclesiastical architecture.
The construction was supported by Karol Dittrich Jr. and his family, employees and officials of the Żyrardów Linen Factory, and other members of the parish. Workers donated money and helped with the building work, while schoolchildren also contributed their small savings. Around three million bricks from the brickyard in Radziejowice were used to construct the church.
In 1901, both church towers were completed and five bells were hung in them. Construction was finished in 1903, and on 11 October the church was consecrated by Bishop Kazimierz Ruszkiewicz. The parish seat was transferred to the new church, while St Charles Borromeo Church began to serve as a school church and later as a rectoral church.
The monumental form of the church became the principal architectural landmark of the Factory Settlement. Standing on the central square, the church forms a visual counterpoint to the massive industrial buildings on the opposite side of the street.
Time travel
Architecture
The Church of Our Lady of Consolation was designed in a Polish variant of the Neo-Gothic style known as Vistula Gothic. It is a monumental three-aisled basilica with a transept, built on a Latin cross plan. Two slender towers approximately 70 metres high rise above the front of the church, making the building visible from many parts of the town.
The church was built of exposed red brick. Its Neo-Gothic character is emphasised by pointed-arch windows and portals, buttresses, pinnacles, decorative friezes and the soaring spires of the towers. The elaborate twin-towered façade faces the central square of the Factory Settlement.
The interior has retained a consistent Neo-Gothic character. The oak high altar, dedicated to Our Lady of Consolation, was made in the workshop of Wincenty Bogaczyk. Relics of St Victoria and St Roman were placed in its mensa. The Neo-Gothic furnishings are complemented by side altars, painted decoration and stained glass.
Of particular value are the Art Nouveau stained-glass windows depicting Polish flowers. The chancel also contains two large stained-glass windows made in 1935 to designs by Feliks Konecki.
