Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Apostles in Częstochowa

The Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Apostles is the main church of the Kraków-Częstochowa diocese of the Polish Catholic Church in the Republic of Poland and at the same time a parish church in the Silesian deanery. It stands at Jasnogórska 6 in Częstochowa, a few kilometres from Jasna Góra.

How the cathedral came about

The parish was erected in 1960. At first the faithful used a brick chapel on Dąbrowskiego Street, and from 1971 a building at Jasnogórska 33. The consent of the Częstochowa voivode for the construction of a new church was issued on 23 August 1979.

The design was prepared by Aleksander Franta and Henryk Buszko. The foundation stone was laid on 10 July 1983, and work lasted from 1979 to 1985. The solemn blessing took place on 1 September 1985, in the presence of guests from the Old Catholic Churches of the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland and from the Polish National Catholic Church.

A rotunda with a sunken chancel

The interior has the shape of a rotunda, and the high altar stands in its sunken part. To the left of the altar is the bishop’s throne with keepsakes of the former ordinary of the diocese, to the right a side altar, and above the entrance a choir gallery. Instead of pews there are chairs.

On the walls hang two triptychs: one shows St Willibrord with images of the cathedral in Utrecht and the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Warsaw, the other the founders of the parish. In the lower part of the building are a chapel of Our Lady of Ostra Brama and a catechetical hall.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Jasnogórska 6, Częstochowa.
• The building stands on a large plot between a school and a health centre, behind a single-storey parish house. It can be seen from al. Jana Pawła II, but the entrance to the grounds is from the courtyard side, from Jasnogórska Street.
• Finishing work has continued since the blessing, so the appearance of the interior may change.
• Check with the parish before your visit for service times and whether you can visit.