The architecture of the church in Błotnica is amplified by outstanding works of art found in its interior. The church is a three-nave temple, in the front façade of which two tall towers are located, flanking the main entrance to the church.

History

The first written mention of Błotnica comes from 1237. A knight Bogusz of Błotnica is mentioned in a document issued by the Duke of Mazovia, Bolesław Kondratowic. The first wooden parish church of the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul was funded by the Błotnicki family in 1403. The construction of the present, masonry church began in 1759 at the efforts of Rev. Sebastian Skórkowski, parish priest of Jankowice and Błotnica. The first stage of construction was completed upon the death of the parish priest in 1781. Only in 1852 were the works resumed at the efforts of Rev. Teofil Jakubowski. The design of renovation and alteration of the church was prepared in years 1850-1852 by an architect Antoni Kacper Wąsowski from Radom. In 1868 Bishop Michał Józef Muszyński consecrated the church and endowed it with a new title of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Between the late 19th century and 1913, at the efforts of Rev. Adolf Machnicki, the northern tower was built and the finishing works were performed in the interior. On 8 September 2000 the Pauline Fathers came to Stara Błotnica and have continued to serve in the parish and the Sanctuary until now. Through the efforts of Father Andrzej Kuster, the parish priest, custodian of the sanctuary and prior of the monastery, the church and the yard underwent renovation in 2014.

Description

The church is situated in an early medieval fortified settlement, on the northern side of the road running through the village. Its roof ridge faces the road. It is surrounded by a brick fence with metal spans. The plot adjacent to the church is covered by trees.

The temple is oriented towards the east, was built of bricks and the walls are plastered on both sides. The floors are made of ceramic tiles. The windows and doors are made of wood. The roof truss is wooden and has a rafter-and-queen post structure. The roof is covered with galvanised sheet metal. The church is a three-nave, six-bay structure of the basilica type, erected on a rectangular floor plan. The temple features two towers on a square floor plan, between which a choir gallery is found. The chancel is equal in height and width to the main nave, has two bays and features a sacristy (at the south end) and a treasury (at the north end) on its sides, at the extension of side naves. The building is tall, has three storeys and is covered with a gable roof with small dormers; the side naves are covered with shed roofs, while the towers - with Baroque Revival cupolas crowned with crucifixes.

The church interior is partitioned by arcaded pillars of the main nave, opening towards the side naves. Lodges are located above the sacristy and the treasury. Their arcaded openings link them with the chancel. The walls are covered with polychrome created by painter Kazimierz Alchimowicz in the years 1909-1910, showing an evangelical story about life, death and Christ’s triumph as well as dealing with Marian topics. The polychrome is made in the spirit of Late Romanticism, with extensive decoration of the interior architecture expressed through the abundance of garlands, gildings and marble. The main altar authored by Józef Fetter (from 1868), made in the Classicist style, features a “Mother Mary of Consolation” painting made on a board and famous for its miracles, originating most likely from the second half of the 16th century. In 1868 silver dresses were put on the painting and the Bishop Józef Michał Muszyński ordered the relocation of the painting from the side chapel to the main nave. On 25 February 1963 Bishop Jan Kanty Lorek made the church in Błotnica a Marian sanctuary of the Diocese of Sandomierz. At the efforts of Bishop Piotr Gołębiowski, Pope Paul VI allowed the coronation of the painting. In the 1970s restoration works of the painting were performed under supervision of Prof. Karol Dąbrowski from Warsaw, as a result of which an old layer was discovered with a slightly different image of the Holy Mother. On 21 August 1977 a ceremonious coronation of the image of Mary took place. The main coronator - substituting the ill Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński - was Cardinal Karol Wojtyła. Side altars in the southern nave were devoted to Antoni Padewski and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, while the ones in the northern nave to Our Lady of the Rosary and St Michael Archangel. The pulpit (in the form of Peter’s Boat) was also made by Józef Fetter and hung on the northern pillar separating the nave from the northern nave.

The building is accessible to visitors during masses and following previous arrangements with the parish priest.

Author of the note Jerzy Szałygin, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Regional Branch in Warsaw 07-08-2017

Bibliography

• Giese A., Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Pocieszenia Pani i Królowej Ziemi Radomskiej w Starej Błotnicy, Radom 1997.
• Giese A., Krynica Łask, Radom 1997.
• Sanctuary of Holy Mother of Consolation in Błotnica, after: http://www.blotnica.paulini.pl/pliki/histo.htm
• Record sheet of the monuments of architecture Kościół parafialny p.w. Narodzenia NMP, prepared by Anna Malewska-Szałygin, Radom 1997.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, vol. III, woj. kieleckie, issue 10, pow. radomski, Warsaw, 1961, p. 3-4.
• Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Warsaw 1880, p. 252.