Of particular interest are the window joinery, colourful stained glass windows and door woodwork, as well as church furniture and fittings such as altars, pews and confessionals. The walls inside are decorated with numerous polychromes painted by Mieczysław Saar. The interiors of the church are painted and decorated in a stylistically cohesive manner, which is typical for buildings constructed according to one design and over a short period of time.

History

The original Evangelical-Augsburg church was built in the years 1826-28 and was designed by the architect Bonifacy Witkowski, whose aim was to create a building similar to the town hall at the opposite corner of the square. The church was small, in Neo-Renaissance style. With time, however, it became insufficient for the growing Evangelical community of Łódź. The extension works lasted from 1889 to 92. The alteration, or rather the construction of a new temple, was carried out according to Otto Gehlig’s design. The foundation stone was laid on 7 August 1889. It is mentioned in Wikipedia that a protocol was placed inside the foundation stone, with the following content:

The Evangelical Community in Łódź and its first church was built in 1826.

After 63 years, the church was remodelled, in response to the deeply felt need.

The cornerstone for the remodelled church was laid on 26 July (7 August) ​​1889 during the reign of Alexander III, the Emperor of Russia and the King of Poland. The General-Governor of Warsaw was the General-Aide-De-Camp Hurko, the Governor of Piotrków – General Komarow, the Police Mayor of the City of Łódź – Captain Danilczuk, the Mayor of the City – Wł. Pieńkowski;

General Superintendent, Bishop of Ewerth; local pastor Klemens Berthold Rondthaler, his assistant Antoni Rutkowski. Church supervisors: L. Meyer, R. Finster, F. Rathe, A. Agather, H. Gehlig, J. Erb, E. Geyer, D. Goltz, G. Bliem.

The construction committee consisted of the church supervisors and the following persons: K. Klukow, R. Ziegler, J. Kammerer, E. T. Neumann, A. Friedrich, R. Fischer, L. Strauch, F. Kindermann, O. J. Schultz, Ed. Modrow, T. Steigert, J. K. Simchen, A. Wenske, G. Wegner, M. Weigold. A. Schwab was the cantor; H. J. Gottschild – the church secretary; N. Friese – sacristan; K. Berner – bell ringer; A. Reinke – gravedigger.

The construction plan, according to the design of the builder Otto Gehlig, was drawn up by the architect Prokofjew, and the construction was carried out by the masonry foreman Stelmachowski under the supervision of Prokofjew.

The cornerstone laying ceremony was also attended by the pastor-deacon of the parish of St. John R. Schmidt.

We hope in God that the building, begun in faith and Christian love, will be and will remain a holy place where the Word of God will always be preached to us and to our descendants.

May Heaven grant it to us, Amen!

The main altar in the new temple was designed by Feliks Paszkowski. The stucco decorations were produced much later, in 1946, by the studio of Stefan Kiełbasiński. The Stations of the Cross, cast in plaster, were built in the same period. Funds for their construction were donated by the Łódź Merchants’ Association. The church prides itself as the owner of a pneumatic organ - a magnificent instrument produced by Schlag und Söhne company. The main bell was cast in Warsaw in 1893 by the bell founder A. Zwoliński. After the war, in 1945, the church became the garrison Catholic church of the Pentecost.

Description

The temple was built on the plan of a regular Greek cross. Like most buildings in Łódź from that period, it is representative of the Eclectic style, with eye-catching Neo-Renaissance and Romanesque elements. It occupies the south-east frontage of Wolności (Liberty) Square and a part of the eastern frontage of Piotrkowska Street. Outside, at the intersection of the arms of the cross, a semicircular dome rises, placed on a tall tholobate. The four corner towers are covered with conical cupolas. The two smaller turrets are covered with pyramidal cupolas with a square base. The bipartite window openings have semicircular ends. Above the ground floor level, particular windows are separated by pilasters surmounted with composite capitals. Further above, there are pilasters with simple stepped capitals, similar to the ones adorning the top sections of the corner towers. Horizontal divisions are achieved by means of shallow rustication in the plasterwork on the ground level, horizontal rectangular decorative panels under the windows, stepped cornices separating particular storeys, flattened triangular tympana between the towers and dentil friezes running under the tympanums and adorning their inner edges. The corner towers are crowned with prominent, stepped eaves supported by a frieze consisting of slender corbels. All window and door openings are contoured with wide profiled surrounds. The bipartite windows on the first floor is additionally accentuated by oculi. Round windows can also be found in the second storey of the corner towers and in their conical cupolas. Double windows pierce the tall tholobate under the dome. The windows are flanked by pilasters with flat capitals with the emblem of the cross and topped with a dentil frieze. The capitals are supported by triangular tympana with profiled edges, the inner edges of which are decorated with a dentil frieze too. The areas between the windows are filled with square and rectangular decorative panels.

Inside, the noteworthy items undoubtedly include polychromes with the images of saints and geometric motifs. The walls of the apse are decorated with the scene of Pentecost, whereas the pendentives of the dome are accentuated with medallions depicting the four Evangelists.

The altars with sculpted and painted representations were made to order in various sculpture and painting studios. In the main altar, in the middle of the altar table, there is a tabernacle, and above it a throne made of four stucco columns with Corinthian-style heads. The side altars are dedicated to St. Francis and the Holy Cross. In the chapel of Our Lady, there is an altar containing a painting of Our Lady of Częstochowa. Inside the Chapel of the Heart of Jesus, there is a sculpture of Christ and low reliefs presenting St. Michael and St. George.

The church is open to visitors, except during services and church ceremonies.

Compiled by Patrycja Podgarbi, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź 14 January 2019

Bibliography

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