National Temple of Divine Providence

The National Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw is considered as the most important ecclesiastical building of the last three centuries in Poland. The story of the construction of the Temple of Divine Providence began over 200 years ago. Poles have not managed to build a monument- votive church of Divine Providence for two centuries. The Temple is an important religious – national symbol of Poland. The complex of Divine Providence composed of a Church of Divine Providence, Museum Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Pantheon of the Great Poles.

The Centre of Divine Providence is a modern cultural institution. This is a place of thanksgiving to God for all these events that have happened in Poland’s history for over 200 years. (Constitution of May 3 1791, resumption of independence in 1918, Miracle at the Vistula in 1920, founded in Solidarity in September 1980, resumption of independence in 1989, pastoral ministry of Stefan Wyszynski and John Paul II’s pontificate.) Shrine would be also a votive church of the nation for two thousand years of Christianity. It is the Temple of National Remembrance - entering of Poland with God in the 21st century

History

First Polish Republic (The act of Great Sejm on 5 May 1791)

The idea of constructing the National Temple of Divine Providence goes back to the times of Stanislaw August Poniatowski’s reign. Two days after the Four- Year Sejm had passed the Constitution 3 May, on 5 May 1791, the members and the king made a commitment of thanksgiving to erect a church ‘ex voto of all states ... dedicated to the highest Providence.’ It was to be an expression of thanksgiving to ‘the Highest Ruler of the fate of nations’ for the adoption of the Constitution.

The celebration of laying the cornerstone of the planned shrine in Ujazdow was held exactly on the first anniversary of the Constitution. It was King Stanislaw August and the last Primate of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Archbishop Michał Jerzy Poniatowski that began the construction of the shrine. The monarch also accepted the project of his royal architect Jakub Kubicki. The Temple was to be built in the classicist style on the plan of a Greek cross. Unfortunately, the Russian army attacked Poland which made the construction impossible. And three years later our country disappeared from the maps of Europe. Only a small ruined chapel has survived and it can be seen in the Botanical Garden in Agrykola (Ujazdow).

Second Polish Republic (The act of Sejm on 17 March 1921)

‎After Poland had regained independence in 1918 the Sejm of the restored Second Polish Republic passed a act to build the shrine on 17 March 1921. The Parliament decided that the state would cover the cost of the construction, which was to be 15 million old zlotys. The budget was also to finance a perpetual scholarship to order Masses celebrated in the intention of the Homeland and for the souls of all Poles who died for the country. However, the financial difficulties and first of all the inflation did not allow the young state to bear such costs. It was the Committee on Commemorating Marshal Pilsudski, created after his death, chaired by President Ignacy Moscicki, that decided to realize that work. The Shrine of Divine Providence was to be built in the fields of Mokotow. The Committee announced a tender and chose a Bohdan Pniewski project: a building of the constructivistic style with a tower that would resemble the skyscrapers in New York. Unfortunately, the date to begin the construction was constantly postponed. Finally, it was settled in 1939, Poland’s very tragic year (invasion of Poland by Germany and Soviet Union - start of World War II).

Third Polish Republic (The act of Sejm on 23 October 1998 )

The war and the communist regime, which was imposed in Poland, did not allow the plans of the construction to be realised within the next 60 years. However, during the times of the Polish People’s Republic people remembered the commitment. The faithful reminded Primate August Hlond and then Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski of the idea.

The favourable conditions occurred at the turning point, in 1989 when Poland regained independence. And it seemed that it was the right time to thank Divine Providence and the nation was going to construct the Temple that had been promised by the ancestors. The Primate of Poland Cardinal Jozef Glemp revived the idea of the shrine towards the late 1990s. Furthermore, the Sejm on 23 October 1998 adopted, by a decisive majority, a act to construct the National Temple of Divine Providence. The resolution said that ‘the Sejm of the Third Republic of Poland thinks that the vows the Polish nation made 200 years ago should be fulfilled’ and the shrine would be ‘a votive church of the nation for the Constitution of 3rd May, the regained independence in 1989, for twenty years of John Paul II’s pontificate and two thousand years of Christianity.’

John Paul II also supported the construction of the Temple wholeheartedly. In his pilgrimage to Poland in 1999, during the celebration in Pilsudski Square, he blessed the cornerstone, which was embedded exactly at the place of the future altar. ‘May this shrine become a place of special thanksgiving for freedom of the Homeland. I pray that no painful experience would disturb this thanksgiving for which we have waited 200 years’, the Holy Father said. The Pope supported the construction by his prayers and financial help. John Paul II is one of its most generous sponsors. The shrine, which is being constructed in Wilanow (the end of the historic Royal Route), will also be a national thanksgiving for the pontificate of the Holy Father.

In January 2002, the Primate chose the final project of the shrine by the architects’ team directed by Wojciech and Lech Szymborski. Planned total costs of around 40 million euros. This sum has been met to a large extent through private donations and co-financed by state budget. The impressive building is based on a 84 m x 84 m base area in the form of a Greek cross – a cross with four equally long arms, with four gates, with a dome and a cross. After completion, the building will have an overall height of around 75 metres. 26 columns are arranged in a circle to form the nave of the church which has a 68 m diameter. The building was designed on a Greek cross, with four gates, with a dome and a cross. In November 2002, Cardinal Glemp began the construction by making a symbolic gesture; he dug with a spade next to the cornerstone. The present Metropolitan of Warsaw Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz regards the construction of the votiv Temple as his very important task.

Museum of John Paul II and Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski

The complex of Divine Providence will house multi-media museum dedicated to Pope John Paul II and to Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski. The museum, which is so important to Polish historic memory, will be placed in the non-sacral part of Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw. The centre for documenting the Polish Pope’s pontificate and the pastoral ministry of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski will be placed at the modern museum. The cultural centre will catalogue the collections and preserve them as well as conduct research. The museum where one can get to know the activities of John Paul II and Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski will show the close relationship between those two great Poles. John Paul II himself referred to that relationship many times. He said that there would be no Polish Pope without the faith of the Primate of the Millennium. Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz would like this multi-media museum to follow the model of the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising that draws many young people. The Centre of Divine Providence will combine the sacral and cultural-patriotic-historic realities. Museum show the substantial contribution of the Church to the history of Polish Nation.

Pantheon of the Great Poles

Pantheon of the Great Poles is underground part of the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw. Pantheon is a funeral site for important Poles. Symbolic tomb of Pope John Paul II (replication of tomb from St. Peter's Basilica) is placed to Pantheon.

In crypt for honoured was buried:

  • Jan Twardowski (June 1, 1915 – January 18, 2006) famous Polish poet, representative of contemporary religious lyrics
  • Zdzisław Peszkowski (August 23, 1918 – October 8, 2007 ) chaplain for the Katyń Families Association, and the Murdered in the East, prisoner in Kozielsk.
  • Krzysztof Skubiszewski (8 October 1926 – 8 February 2010) Minister of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland (1989–1993) and an established scholar in the field of international law.

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Tomasz Araszkiewicz
13 August 2013
Wilanów i Świątynia Opatrzności Bożej to połączenie wspaniałej historii i nowoczesności. Czy odpady to nowoczesność czy jedynie nie potrzebne rzeczy? Przekonaj sie na odpady.blog.pl. Pozdrawiam.
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20 March 2014
Polecam. Szykują się najlepsze odpusty w mieście.
Piotr Fantastyczny
23 May 2011
Płac budowy w środku placu budowy Miasteczka Wilanow. Póki nie będzie dzwonów bardzo sympatyczne miejsce.
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