Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Bydgoszcz


The Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a wood and brick Catholic church, located on the southern heights of Bydgoszcz, at 16 Ugory street.

History

Prussian period

The desire to erect a catholic church in Szwederowo district dates back to the end of the 19th century, as this village housed the main concentration of Polish catholics in and around Bromberg. The Prussian authorities only authorized the construction of a Lutherian temple in 1906, the Martin Luther Church in Bydgoszcz, fearing that new catholic parishes fostered Polish identity and resistance movements. The latter temple was burned down in September 1939, and demolished in 1945, shortly after the end of WWII.
Edmund Dalbor, Primate of Poland, made up his mind in favor of the construction of a church in this suburb, after a visit to Bydgoszcz he made in 1917. To this purpose, he designated Jan Konopczyński, then vicar of St. Martin and St. Nicholas parish -only catholic parish, as responsible for the project, via the setting up of an association for the construction of churches in Bydgoszcz and the surroundings.
In August 1917, this association purchased plots of land in Father Ignacy Skorupki street and asked local engineer Edmund Pitak to develop an initial design. However, the outbreak of World War I ground the scheme to a halt.

Projects and construction

The establishment of the Second Polish Republic in 1920 brought opportune conditions for the expected construction of the church: Szwederowo village had been integrated into Bydgoszcz city territory and Szwederowo parish of 6700 residents was one of the four newly created pastoral districts. At the beginning, the lack of a church led to celebrate Sundays and holidays services in the open, whereas weekdays masses were held in the soup kitchen establishment at 66 Orla street.
Father Konopczyński proposed the Metropolitan Curia in Gniezno two choices: either building a temporary church at the plot at the intersection of Orla and Skorupkiego streets or acquiring from the city the former Conitzer dance hall at 2 Dąbrowskiego street and adapt it to a makeshift church. The latter solution was chosen and the temporary temple was set up with the help of parishioners, comprising a main altar adorned with a painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help which came from downtown's St. Martin and St. Nicholas parish. This make-do church was consecrated on October 10, 1920.
In 1923, Bydgoszcz city council transferred the land at Orla and Dąbrowskiego streets for private construction, in exchange of which it passed a resolution giving perpetua lease for a plot where to build a church. Meanwhile, on April 10 1924, cardinal Edmund Dalbor erected officially the Szwederowo's parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Finally in January 1926, Father Konopczyński acquired, on behalf of the Metropolitan Curia, a property at 8/9 Ugory street for the construction of the parish church.
Originally, timber framing technique was supposed to be used, but following Poznań architect Stefan Cybichowski's advice, it was decided to build a reinforced concrete nave and enlarge the church by one span. Design was completed in May 1926, and construction works began in October. Thanks to a daily voluntary help of 150 districts inhabitants, the walls, roof and tower were finished in 1927.
During the whole period of the construction, it has been a constant struggle to finance the project. Many times in 1927, the local press informed about the issue and the local newspaper Dziennik Bydgoski never ceased campaigning for the completion of the church, regularly calling for donations. Szweredowo residents organized performances, church fraternities and associations from all over Poland joined the movement, such as the Conference of the Ladies of Mercy of Saint Vincent de Paul, the Brotherhood of Christian Mothers or the Catholic Society of Polish Workers.
Youth from local junior high schools also joined the campaign, the city of Bydgoszcz funded through loans the furnishing of the interiors. Other loans contracted in 1926-1927 and fundraising in neighboring voivodeships contributed as well to the construction of the church. In the end, even the supply of building materials at minute prices, let alone free handed, participated to the success of the project: 10,000 bricks donated by an individual from Potulice, half-price supply of timber, gravel handed over for free to the local brick factory.
However, due to the lack of funds, the original architectural plans were not fully implemented, especially for the interiors.
A new presbytery was erected according to Stefan Cybichowski's design, which enabled the sale of the ancient one at 4/5 Skorupkiego street to the city authorities.
The embellishment and furnishing of the church lasted a decade more.
The building site was visited by cardinal August Hlond and by bishop Antoni Laubitz who also financially supported the construction. Warsaw's Metropolitan Curia offered in 1927, a 14th century church bell, Saint John the Apostle, which had been recovered from a non-extant church in the Eastern Borderlands. A second bell, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, was cast from a purchased 17th century one, coming from a steeple in Pustelnik.

After church consecration

The consecration of the church happened on October 28, 1928, and its vicar solemny designated on February 23, 1930.
In 1933, most of the neo-baroque interior elements were installed, the main altar was completed in 1937.
At this time, Stefan Cybichowski was working on the project of the church of Saint Anthony of Padua, located at the crossing of Grunwaldzka and Koronowska streets.
During the years prior to WWII, the local community fervour built up its spiritual coherence: between 1924 and 1939, 19 catholic fraternities and associations were founded in the parish.
During Nazi occupation the church was still active, but Polish language was banned both during services and private exchanges. Despite those threats, priests in the parish often used Polish for confessions or while preparing children for their First Communion. At that time, the presbytery was operating as a contact cell for Home Army and as a small scale clandestine seminary. The war caused considerable damage to the church: a majority of the nave was torn down and 60% of the roof was destroyed.
Among the Polish victims of the sundry roundups and searches performed from September 5th to 30th, about 300 residents of Szwederowo are recorded. On the churchyard of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Ugory street lays a mass grave of 21 murdered Poles detained while leaving the church after a service on Sunday, September 10, 1939.
Renovation works started in 1946, privately financed by Bydgoszcz citizens; interior refurbishing was led by plastic artist Władysław Pacholski. The newly renovated church was consecrated on June 29, 1947, by Lucjan Bernacki, auxiliary bishop of Gniezno.
In the following years, many overhaul actions or ornamenting projects have been carried out, among others:
The church displays a national style, fashionable in Poland in the 1920s: a historicist platform combined with folk elements and a mix of neo-renaissance and neo-baroque influences.

Exteriors

The edifice comprises three naves and a closed pentagonal chancel, facing south, with a massive tower on its front. As such, its design mirrors another contemporaneous religious building in Bydgoszcz, the church of Saint and Martyr Stanislaus of Szczepanów located at 1 Kapliczna street.
Although the use of reinforced concrete allowed an extension of the nave length, the amount of external lining made of timber framing could not comply with the fire regulations of the time and as a consequence, the body of the building had to be plastered and the tower clad with copper sheets.
The external appearance of the church is reminiscent of folk architecture, in particular the flattened onion dome steeple overhanging the main entrance columned portico. A second portico has been added after WWII at the western side entrance. A ridge turret with the same onion dome style stands on top of the chancel.

Picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been sculpted and painted on a square board, x, and placed on the steeple, welcoming the believers. It is a reminder of the icon that stands overhead the main altar.
The icon portrays the following holy figures: the Virgin Mary, Jesus as infant and archangels Michael and Gabriel. They are associated with Greek letters inscribed in the backdrop of the board:
Colors have died out a bit, but a one can notice on Mary's figure:
The gold background represents the heaven.
Baby Jesus, crowned as his mother, has his right sandal undone and falling, leaving one foot naked: it figures that although a God, he is also a man.
Both angels bear the tools of Christ's crucifixion: the cross for Gabriel, the reed, the sponge and the spear for Michael.

Interior

Interiors have a neo-baroque twist. Naves are separated by stuccoed arcades, embellished with Rococo ornamented cartouches.
The three naves, the chancel and the three apses boast barrel vaults and lunettes. The chancel is enclosed with six monumental Ionic style capital columns. Columns also support an triforium gallery standing above the main entrance.
Large polychromes have been realized by the artist Leon Drapiewski, from Poznań. Overhead the main altar stands on the wall a painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, made in the 1930s in Bavaria. A sculpted version is placed high on the main steeple to remind parishioners.

Gallery