Collegiate Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Zawiercie

The Collegiate Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Zawiercie is a Neo-Gothic church of red brick, built in 1896-1903. It has held the title of minor basilica since 2009 and has been a collegiate church since 1992. The church is entered in the heritage register.

Construction and founders

The church was designed by the Warsaw architect Hugon Kuder and funded by Adolf and Izydor Ginsberg. In 1904 a statue of the Immaculate Virgin Mary was erected in front of the church. It became a collegiate church on 27 December 1992, when Archbishop Stanisław Nowak established the Collegiate Chapter of Zawiercie and Żarki here. The title of minor basilica was granted on 29 June 2009.

Form and interior

The building has a Latin cross plan, three aisles in a basilican arrangement, and a transept. The façade is formed by two towers, and two smaller turrets flank the chancel; at the crossing there is a small turret with a bell turret. Inside, four pairs of pillars support the vault, and brick rose windows with stained glass decorate the walls above the portals and in the gables of the transept. Around the church runs a decorative fence with three sections of steps and figures of the saints Peter and Paul, separately entered in the heritage register. In the church square stands a monument to John Paul II by Ryszard Kaczor, unveiled in 1997.

Nearby

Right next door stretches Tadeusz Kościuszko Park, and not far away stands the synagogue in Zawiercie. A walk can be extended to the brine graduation tower.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Henryka Sienkiewicza 4, Zawiercie.
• A working parish church. Check the rules for entering the interior with the parish.