The
Temple of Mercy and Charity is a
MariaviteThe Mariavite Church is an independent Christian church that emerged from the Catholic Church of Poland at the turn of the 20th century. Initially, it was an internal movement leading to a reform of the Polish clergy, but after a conflict with Polish bishops it became a separate and independent...
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Płock in central
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is located near the Vistula River.
The Temple is the religious center of the
Mariavite ChurchThe Mariavite Church is an independent Christian church that emerged from the Catholic Church of Poland at the turn of the 20th century. Initially, it was an internal movement leading to a reform of the Polish clergy, but after a conflict with Polish bishops it became a separate and independent...
and contains the tomb of its foundress Feliksa Kozłowska, as well as a memorial plaque commemorating its first leader
Jan Maria Michał KowalskiJan Maria Michał Kowalski was the first Minister Generalis of the order of the Mariavites. At the time of his selection, he was the most important person in this Christian movement. He was consecrated Bishop in 1909 by the Utrecht Union Old Catholic Archbishop Gerardus Gul...
. It is also the focus of pilgrimages by followers of the Mariavite Church. The main religious celebration occurs on August 15th, the date of the
Assumption of the Virgin MaryThere are many significant works of art depicting the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. They include:* Assumption of the Virgin by Annibale Carracci* Assumption of the Virgin by Francesco Botticini...
, which also coincides with the consecration of the church.
The church was built on the site of a small
manorA manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor , the lowest unit of territorial organization in the feudal system...
with two annexes that was purchased in 1902 by the sect's foundress Feliksa Kozłowska.
The
Temple of Mercy and Charity is a
MariaviteThe Mariavite Church is an independent Christian church that emerged from the Catholic Church of Poland at the turn of the 20th century. Initially, it was an internal movement leading to a reform of the Polish clergy, but after a conflict with Polish bishops it became a separate and independent...
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Płock in central
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is located near the Vistula River.
Significance
The Temple is the religious center of the
Mariavite ChurchThe Mariavite Church is an independent Christian church that emerged from the Catholic Church of Poland at the turn of the 20th century. Initially, it was an internal movement leading to a reform of the Polish clergy, but after a conflict with Polish bishops it became a separate and independent...
and contains the tomb of its foundress Feliksa Kozłowska, as well as a memorial plaque commemorating its first leader
Jan Maria Michał KowalskiJan Maria Michał Kowalski was the first Minister Generalis of the order of the Mariavites. At the time of his selection, he was the most important person in this Christian movement. He was consecrated Bishop in 1909 by the Utrecht Union Old Catholic Archbishop Gerardus Gul...
. It is also the focus of pilgrimages by followers of the Mariavite Church. The main religious celebration occurs on August 15th, the date of the
Assumption of the Virgin MaryThere are many significant works of art depicting the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. They include:* Assumption of the Virgin by Annibale Carracci* Assumption of the Virgin by Francesco Botticini...
, which also coincides with the consecration of the church.
History
The church was built on the site of a small
manorA manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor , the lowest unit of territorial organization in the feudal system...
with two annexes that was purchased in 1902 by the sect's foundress Feliksa Kozłowska. The temple's construction took place from 1911 to 1914 and was financed chiefly from collections of the Mariavite community.
Architecture
The Temple was designed in the architectural stylings of the English Neogothic, according to instructions from the sect's foundress Feliksa Kozłowska through Bishop
Jan Maria Michał KowalskiJan Maria Michał Kowalski was the first Minister Generalis of the order of the Mariavites. At the time of his selection, he was the most important person in this Christian movement. He was consecrated Bishop in 1909 by the Utrecht Union Old Catholic Archbishop Gerardus Gul...
. Technical aspects of the plan were corrected by two other Mariavite priests, Wacław Przysiecki and Feliks Szymanowski.
The church itself is built on an
E- shaped plan to symbolize the word
EucharistThe Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, Sacrament of the Table, the Blessed Sacrament, or The Lord's Supper and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance, generally considered to be a commemoration of the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his...
. Perched on top of the main dome is a gigantic
monstranceA monstrance is the vessel used in the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches to display the consecrated Eucharistic Host, during Eucharistic adoration or Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. In the medieval periods monstrances were constructed for the public display of...
adored by four angels, each measuring almost 4 feet in height. The following phrase can be read underneath: "Adorujmy Chrystusa Króla panującego nad narodami", which translates into
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
as
"Let us adore Christ the KingChrist the King is a title of Jesus based on several passages of Scripture and, in general, used by all Christians. Many denominations, including Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and some Lutherans and Methodists, celebrate, in honour of Christ under this title, the Feast of Christ the King on...
reigning over all nations". Atop each of its characteristic three towers are crowns, with three on the central tower as well as one on each of the side ones.
The exterior is gray in color, whereas the interior is done in shades of white. The interior is bare of any excessive
ornamentOrnament may refer to:*Decoration**Christmas ornament**Ornament or "ornamentation"**Ornamental stone*Ornament *Ornamental plant*Human ornamentation, see:**Human physical appearance**Fashion**Jewelry**Tattoo...
as well as the absence of any side altars. The focus of the building is to direct attention solely towards the main altar located in the central part of the
templeA temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
. A gilded baldaquin resting on atop four pillars. A
papal tiaraThe Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, or in Latin as the Triregnum, and in Italian as the Triregno, is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown, supposedly of Byzantine and Persian origin, that is a prominent symbol of the papacy...
as well as the Keys of St. Peter are fixed on the baldaquin's front face, to symbolize that for the
Mariavite ChurchThe Mariavite Church is an independent Christian church that emerged from the Catholic Church of Poland at the turn of the 20th century. Initially, it was an internal movement leading to a reform of the Polish clergy, but after a conflict with Polish bishops it became a separate and independent...
the highest authority is to be found in Jesus, present in the church through their fervent devotion to
Eucharistic AdorationEucharistic adoration is a practice in the Catholic Church and in some Anglican churches, in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed to and adored by the faithful. When this exposure and adoration is constant , it is called Perpetual Adoration...
. Alongside the altar are located
GothicGothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
stalls where Mariavite clergy will be seated during religious celebrations. The doors, pews and floors of the Temple of Mercy and Charity are all carved from
oakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 400 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
wood.
In addition to the body of Feliksa Kozłowska, the underground of the Temple also houses the crypts of important bishops of the Mariavite Church.
External links