Church of Our Lady of Consolation in Zyrardow
Jozef Pius Dziekonski (1844-1927)
1887-1904
The Gothic Revival Church of Our Lady of Consolation — (kosciol Matki Bozej Pocieszenia) — emulates the structure and décor of great Gothic churches, particularly that of the two-tower Cologne Cathedral (1248-1880) and the Votive Church in Vienna (1855-1879). It is situated in the town of Zyrardow (55 km south-west of Warsaw), which remains a unique example of nineteenth-century industrial architecture. The church was founded by the owner of the Zyrardow flax plant, Charles Dittrich, who donated over 3 million bricks from his own brickworks.
The church has an impressive neo-Gothic high altar with the statue of the Madonna and Child in the centre. On the sides of the altar are images of Christ and Our Lady. The interior of the church is decorated with the floral motifs of stain glass windows designed by Józef Mehoffer (1869-1946), one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement.
Photograph 2011 and text by Andrzej Diniejko
Formatting and perspective correction by George P. Landow
