A Church for the Polish People: On the Contest for the Parochial Church in the Warsaw District of Praga
Journal Title: Ikonotheka - Year 2018, Vol 28, Issue
Abstract
The present article discusses the architectural contest for the design of the Praga parish church in Warsaw, announced in 1886. The author aims to establish whether this event had any significant impact on the development of Polish architecture and its theoretical principles. He reviews the reasons for its importance and attempts to establish whether it constitutes suitable material for more thorough studies, the results of which would merit a prominent place in the historiography of 19th century architecture in Poland. The critical interpretation presented in this article is based primarily on texts published in Przegląd Techniczny, which discuss the successive stages of the contest, as well as selected press articles and essays written in direct connection to this enterprise. The author analyses texts by Karol Matuszewski, Franciszek Ksawery Martynowski, Władysław Łuszczkiewicz and Józef Pius Dziekoński, which are crucial for understanding the complex nature of the issue of the contest. The analysis leads to the conclusion that it was not the ultimate form of the church, but rather the combination of emotions, hopes, interests and controversies provoked by the announcement of the contest and the phrasing of its requirements that determined the crucial role of this event in the history of Polish architecture in the latter part of the 19th century.<br/><br/>
Authors and Affiliations
Jan Nowicki
Keywords
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- EP ID EP640816
- DOI 10.5604/01.3001.0013.3343
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