History

The Czech Brothers were members of a religious community, founded in the 15th century, whose origin can be traced back to the Hussite movement. In the 16th century, religious persecution forced them to leave their homeland. Some of them emigrated to the Commonwealth of Poland, recognized for its religious tolerance. With time, the Czech Brothers joined the Evangelical Reformed Church.

They came to Zelów in a large group (149 families) in 1802. In 1818, they set about obtaining permission for the construction of a church. The foundation stone was laid in 1821 and the construction was completed in 1825. The church was designed by Jan Zille. The consecration ceremony took place in the same year.

After the Second World War, 90% of the Czech Brethren returned to the Czech Republic. The remaining members of the congregation cultivate their traditions and organize various events to spread knowledge about the Unity of the Czech Brethren. Apart from typically religious activities, the parish also serves as the seat of the Czech Minority Association and runs a museum. The Museum concentrates on documenting and promoting knowledge about the history of the Czech Brethren. The persons looking after the museum work together with scientists from the University of Łódź, University of Warsaw, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and ChAT.

Description

The church is situated on a small hill at one of the main streets of Zelów. It is oriented. It is surrounded by the former church cemetery. It is an example of Neoclassical architecture with Baroque accents in the form of a tower.

​​​​​​​The building was built on the floor plan of a rectangle. Form the west, it is adjoined by a two-storey rectangular tower. The edifice has a compact body. From the eat, the three-nave corps de logis ends with a sacristy, which is separated from the chancel by a partition. The corps de logis does not contain a separate chancel. The whole building is covered with a three-hipped roof.

The main entrance to the temple is situated in the slender tower of the front elevation, with the tower being the highest structure of the church. In the tympanum above the door, there is a symbol of the Eye of Providence and a plaque with a quotation from the Holy Bible in Czech. The plaque was most probably made in 1924. The elevation of the corps de logis is topped with a cornice with a decorative frieze. The side elevations were pierced with two rows of window openings: rectangular in the walls of the nave and semicircular ones in the walls of the interior galleries (triforiums). In addition, the side elevations incorporate flat pseudo-avant-corpses.

The interior is divided into three naves by Tuscan columns which support the interior galleries (triforiums). In the western part, there is an entrance leading to the interior galleries. The entrance is covered with a tripartite arcade arch supporting the choir gallery. A small altar platform with a balustrade can be found in the chancel. Above the altar, there is a pulpit with a canopy. The whole is flanked by two pilasters.

The interior of the church is very modest, in conformity with the principles of the Protestant faith.

According to the preserved inventories, only a part of the original fixtures and fittings has survived to this day. These are the following wooden items: a pulpit, a baptismal font and an altar (Lord’s Table). All the above-mentioned items were produced by local craftsmen in the first half of the 19th century.

The church is open to the public all year round. The church and the museum can be toured upon prior arrangement by phone.

Compiled by Anna Michalska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź. 3 October 2016

Bibliography

• Jadwiszczak J., Różnorodność religijna, etniczna i kulturowa Zelowa, Zelów 2008
• Kriegseisen J., Historia budowy, architektura i wyposażenie kościoła ewangelicko-reformowanego w Zelowie [in:] Wczoraj, dziś i …., Zelów 1998
• Papuga S., Gramsz A., Zelów , wspólnota nacji, wyznań, kultur, Łódź 2003