Basilica Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption

When Wloclawek became a bishopric, there may already have been two places of worship in the city. One of them was probably a castle chapel, and the other was St. John the Baptist Church with which the parish functioned that was administered then by Benedictines. The castle chapel, which was under the auspices of the prince, played the role of the first cathedral. According to the chronicler Jan Dlugosz, bishop Swidger (around 1133) equipped the new cathedral in Wloclawek, and adapted the castle chapel which was dedicated to St. Mary of the Assumption. However, the first written information about the cathedral in Wloclawek comes only from 1185.

Because of its location the cathedral often suffered damage. The waters of the Vistula River, and fires also contributed to its destruction, which finally led to the building of a new cathedral under the guidance of the bishop Michal Godziemba (1222-1252). He decided to set up the new cathedral in place of the first cathedral. It is not known for certain when this second cathedral was set up. It was probably a three-aisle building made of stone in the Romanesque style with a wooden ceiling. It lasted until 1329 when the Teutonic Knights destroyed it. It was located to the southeast of the castle, near Gdanska, Bednarska and Zamcza streets. According to sources, some of the building material from the demolition of the burnt cathedral (granite stone) was used to build the tenement house at 2 Bednarska Street.[1]

Wloclawek's Cathedral in 1863, view from the estuary of Zglowiaczka river, picture by Adolf Kozarski

Research into the history of the first cathedrals in Wloclawek is as yet incomplete. It requires further investigation and excavations. The situation is slightly better when it comes to the third – still extant– basilica cathedral.[2]

Interior

The cathedral in 1842, picture by Georg Ferdinand Gregorivovus

The history of the cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption begins during the episcopate of Bishop Maciej of Golancz (1323-1364). He was a canon of Wloclawek, Gniezno, Poznan, Plock, Cracow, and Wroclaw. Maciej was the first initiator and the builder of the cathedral.

On 7 May 1329 Teutonic troops captured Wloclawek, and destroyed the borough, concentrating in particular on the bishop’s property. The Teutonic Knights forbade restoring the bishop’s town and the cathedral on pain of death.

On 24 August 1330 Maciej of Golancz decided to sign a pact with the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Werner von Orseln, who allowed him to resume public religious activities. To this end, a small church beyond the city was built as a temporary solution. But Maciej Golanczewski still wanted to build a cathedral, and collected funds and created plans to do so. On 25 March 1340 he consecrated the cornerstone to begin building the new cathedral. During the next 25 years, the construction on the walls of the cathedral was ongoing; Maciej’s nephew - Zbylut (1365-1383) succeeded to the bishopric, and continued building the cathedral. The details of the construction process are uncertain. The first stage, including the presbytery, southern vestry and treasury, were most likely completed under the guidance of Maciej Golanczewski. During Zbylut’s incumbency in the diocese the roofs of the lofts and vestry were finished, and the high altar with the figure of the Mother of God was set up.

The chronicler Jan Długosz noted in "Roczniki" the beginning of the construction of the present-day cathedral, initiated by Bishop Maciej Pałuka from Gołańcza, who was to lay the foundation stone on 25 March 1340.[3] The construction started in a new place outside the city, near the Vistula escarpment. In 1350 the altar of St. John and Andrew was erected and equipped. First, a long presbytery and the southern sacristy were erected, followed by the construction of the main body after 1358. Following the death of Bishop Maciej Pałuka, the construction was continued after 1364 by his nephew, Bishop Zbylut of Gołańcza.

On 13 May 1411 a ceremonious consecration of the cathedral attended by the king of Poland Wladyslaw Jagiello took place. But the cathedral was not yet finished. Construction continued over the course of the next centuries.

The body of the main nave was completed at the beginning of the 15th century. The origins of the modest shape of the cathedral are a subject of discussion among art historians, who, for example, propose the view that the cathedral in Gniezno was used as a model,[4] or that similar patterns should be sought among buildings originating from the tradition formed in the artistic environment of the Upper Rhineland, including the church of the Cistercian Abbey in Salem.[5] In 1392, an expenditure on roofing was recorded. In 1411 the cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Jan Kropidło. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, works on the tower and chapels continued. Four-armed star-shaped ceilings from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries come from the architectural tradition of the Teutonic Order. Twenty-two quarters of Gothic stained-glass windows from the presbytery have been preserved to this day, currently displayed in the Chapel of St. Barbara.

Chapels started to be built around the main body of the church in the second half of the 15th century. At the southern nave, the St. Martin's Chapel and the Chapter House were built in 1527, and the Cibavit Chapel in 1541. In the first quarter of the 16th century, two of the chapels (the chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the one opposite St. Casimir) were rebuilt in the Mannerist style. They were covered with domes with lanterns.

There are mentions that prelates and canons of the chapter in Wloclawek gave up part of their income for the further building and conservation of the cathedral.[6] In the second part of the 15th century work was started on the chapels around the main body of the church.[7] Next to the southern nave, St. Martin's Chapel and chapterhouse were built in 1527 and the Cibavit chapel in 1541. At the beginning of the 16th century these two chapels were remodelled in the Mannerist style which included covering them with cupolas with lanterns. Over time, the cathedral needed renovation. In the second part of the 18th century the roof was renovated[8] while in the 19th century the cathedral was regothicised. The bishop Wincenty Teofil Chosciak wanted the cathedral to look more monumental and decided to enlarge the towers. The works began in 1878. They enlarged the towers, and finished them off with pointed cupolas.

The roof was renovated in the second half of the 18th century. In 1891, Konstanty Wojciechowski began work on the rebuilding of the cathedral. According to his design, a chapel was added along the northern nave as well as the western porch, thus obtaining a symmetrical arrangement of the building. The towers, originally not higher than the roof of the main nave, and later covered with bubble domes, were extended by two soaring floors in neo-Gothic style. The works also consisted of replacing numerous elements of decoration of the interior, which obliterated the original Gothic character of the cathedral. A large portion of modern equipment was also removed. The works were completed in 1902. In 1907 the cathedral was honoured with the title of minor basilica. The title was given by the Pope Pius X.

An important event in the history of the cathedral was the visit of Pope John Paul II, who stayed in Wloclawek on 6 and 7 June 1991 during his fourth journey to his home country.[9]