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ID: POL-002086-P

Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Angels and St Stanislaus the Bishop and Martyr in Chlopy

ID: POL-002086-P

Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Angels and St Stanislaus the Bishop and Martyr in Chlopy

Variants of the name:
Kościół filialny p.w. Najświętszej Marii Panny Królowej Aniołów i Św. Stanisława Biskupa i Męczennika w Peremożne (lub Peremożny)

Historical outline
Peasantry is now called Peremože (or Peremožy). It is this village that one should look for in order to locate the site. The village is situated to the west of Komárno. The oldest mention of it dates back to the 15th century. It was then that King Władysław Jagiełło granted the estate to Mikołaj Parawa of Lubin of Ogończyk coat of arms. After his death, the village was taken over by his nephew Stanisław Chodecki, also called Stanisław de Chłopy or Stanisław Chłopski. In the following centuries, the owners of the estate were, among others, the Kols, the Mielecs, the Ostrorogs, the Wiśniowieckis and the Ogińskis. In 1801, the village (along with several surrounding villages) was purchased by Antoni Józef Lanckoroński. His heirs remained the owners of Chlobody until World War II. This time, especially the 17th century, was not characterised by peaceful and stable development. The village was repeatedly destroyed as a result of Turkish and Tartar invasions.

The peasants have always belonged to the parish of Komárno. In the second half of the 1930s, however, the idea of establishing an independent pastoral unit here was floated. The owner of the estate, Karolina Lanckorońska, approached the issue consciously and ambitiously, ordering the project from Wawrzyniec Dayczak himself, one of the most prominent architects of the time. It is worth noting that the management of the family estate was only a fragment of Lanckorońska's extremely rich and eventful life. The foundress died only in 2002, leaving behind an incredible biography worth getting to know.

A remarkable curiosity is the preserved content of the letter which the foundress (trained, among other things, as an art historian) addressed to the artist. Here are excerpts from it:

"Komarno, 16 October 1936

Dear Mr. Architect,

I would like to order plans for the church to be built in Chlopy.

On my part, I propose first of all to make a 1:200 sketch, with four views, a horizontal projection and a longitudinal section, as well as a rough cost estimate, with the proviso that if I entrust you with the making of the plans, there would be a lump sum fee for the sketch and the plans themselves, and if I decide not to order the plans, I will be obliged to pay a fee of 250 zloty for the sketches alone.

As for the church itself, I give the following dates [sic] as indicative: 1. it is a village church in a purely rural area; 2. I enclose a site plan for orientation in the location; 3. the church is to be of brick and accommodate 1,200 people; 4. any Gothic architectural forms are excluded; 5. the church is to have a tower located on the side, with a separate foundation; 6. the church is to have a sacristy, a vault and at least three altars.

A crypt of the Holy Sepulchre and a pre-burial crypt are desirable.

If you consider it necessary to come to Komárno in order to see the site, as it is a village located in the immediate vicinity of Komárno, please let me know at the following address: Komarno estate management p(oczta) loco. The most convenient way would be a train leaving Lviv at 9.24 a.m., return could be the same day at 5.48 p.m.

I would like to ask you kindly to reply back if you are in principle willing to draw up the plans, and to state within what time you would be able to draw up the sketch and the appendices mentioned above, and within what time you would be able to have the plans ready and how much you would charge for drawing up the plans.

Yours sincerely

Karolina Lanckorońska"

Jerzy T. Petrus claims that this was the last foundation act in the lands of the Republic made by a private individual. Unfortunately, the outbreak of war prevented the complete completion of the construction. Among other things, the tower was not completed.

The building was closed in 1946 and turned into a warehouse by the Soviet authorities. Some of the furnishings were saved and taken to the Krosno area. In 1992, the Greek-Catholic parish took over the church. After its consecration, the church was given the invocation of the Virgin Mary of Pokrovna. At present, it can be located as "Church of the Protection of the Holy Mother of God", "Church in Peremozhne" or "Former Church in Peremozhne".

Architecture
The church was situated on the edge of the village, more precisely on a small hill near the road from Komárno to Rudki. It is a brick building, partially plastered. Some elements (foundation, ceilings, lintels) were created using concrete.

The body consists of a north-facing chancel, a three-nave, three-bay basilican body and a transept. The side aisles are three-bay. The transept is closed on two sides with a semicircle and its arms extend beyond the line of the external walls of the body. Next to the nave to the south is an additional bay housing the music choir, which takes the form of a simple timber-framed balcony. It is accessed via a staircase in the tower adjacent to the body on the west side. Above this on the east side is a semicircular closed chapel. Both these elements are preceded by a rectangular portico.

The exterior elevations are closed with a modestly profiled cornice. The windows are separated by narrow buttresses. The façade is preceded by a staircase and three open arcades with semi-circular arches. To the right is the chapel façade and to the left is the tower. The upper storey of the façade has unequal-height windows. The whole is closed with a strongly elongated triangular gable ending in a ball with a cross.

On the other side of the building one can notice an interestingly incorporated apse of the presbytery. In the lower part, there are arcades similar to the entrance arcade, except that they follow the curve of this part. All the roofs are covered with sheet metal. The nave and chancel have gable roofs, while the side aisles, the courtyard and the portico have pent roofs. There are multi-pitched roofs over the other parts of the building.

In the interior, the main articulation accents are the cross-shaped pillars separating the nave bays and supporting the ceiling. The rainbow arch (i.e. the upper part separating the nave from the chancel) has a semicircular design. The bays of the side aisles are separated by narrow semicircular arcades.

The nave, sacristy and vault, as well as the ceiling under the music choir, were covered with beamed ceilings. In the chancel, in the choir bay of the nave and in the portico, cross-column vaults were used. The apse and the closures of the transept arms and the chapel are vaulted hemispherically. The building is dominated by narrow rectangular and circular windows. The exceptions are the windows in the façade and the tower, which are considerably narrower.

The building is preserved in good condition. Although it was an unfinished project, in the 1990s it was possible to add some elements, obviously abandoning the original architectural plans. The liturgical equipment and furnishings left in place in 1946 have disappeared.

It should be noted that although Warzyniec Dayczak was one of the most talented and popular architects of the time, the founder, Karolina Lanckorońska, must also have had an influence on the final design. However, this does not change the overall character of the building, which corresponds to Dayczak's work not only at the level of specific features, but also at the level of self-quotation.

Jerzy T. Petrus writes:
"These include the already mentioned closures of the arms of the transept protruding beyond the line of the walls, the arcaded bypass of the chancel apse, the porticoes, narrow windows separated by a type of scarps, circular windows, lisens or scarps supporting the walls, wide cornices crossing the facades, and finally the steep roofs determining the silhouette of the whole, some with low slopes. Many of these features can also be found in much more modest productions by the same architect, such as the parish church in Boryslav-Hubichy (ca. 1935) and the branch church in Borynia (1938)."

Related persons:
Time of origin:
late 1930s
Creator:
Wawrzyniec Dayczak (inżynier architekt; Polska, Ukraina)(preview)
Bibliography:
  • Jerzy T. Petrus „Kościół filialny w Chłopach.” W: „Materiały do dziejów sztuki sakralnej na ziemiach wschodnich dawnej Rzeczypospolitej. Cz. 1: Kościoły i klasztory rzymskokatolickie dawnego województwa ruskiego” T. 7. Kraków: Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury w Krakowie, 1999, 33-39.
Publikacja:
21.07.2024
Ostatnia aktualizacja:
23.07.2024
Author:
Michał Dziadosz
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