Church of St Andrew Bobola in Szczecin

The Church of St Andrew Bobola stands in the Turzyn district of Szczecin, on Pocztowa Street. It is a modernist church from 1932-1933, built for an Evangelical parish and belonging to the Jesuits since 1945. Since 16 May 2020 it has been a sanctuary. The building is entered in the heritage register.

A modernist form

The design was made in 1928 by the Szczecin architect Adolf Thesmacher. Building work began in 1932, and the church was completed the following year. It has two levels, is pseudo-basilican, with a tall tower and a gable roof. The entrance zone is accented by four massive pilasters, and in the body of the building there are subtle references to Romanesque style, reworked in the language of modernism.

The furnishings changed after the war. In 1964 the parquet was replaced with a stone floor, in 1969 new altars were set up, and a year later a mosaic in the chancel, a new high altar and a tabernacle were made. In 1989 the roof was covered with new copper sheeting.

The Jesuits in Turzyn

Before the war the building belonged to the Evangelical church. In June 1945 the first Jesuits arrived in Szczecin, and the church was consecrated on 1 October 1945. The parish was established on 1 March 1946. In 1952 the lower church, intended mainly for children and young people, was consecrated.

On 31 January 1955 the communist authorities forced the Jesuits to leave Szczecin, accusing them of a harmful influence on young people and the intelligentsia. This provoked a protest by residents and a petition to the authorities, and the decision was deemed unjustified only in October 1957. During martial law the church was an important point for the distribution of foreign aid. In 1989 a plaque devoted to the underground Solidarity in Szczecin was unveiled in front of the church.

Nearby

Not far away, about seven hundred metres from the church, lies Szare Szeregi Square.

A little further on stands the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic.

Practical information

• Address: Pocztowa 21, Szczecin (Turzyn).
• Opening hours of the church outside services are set by the parish. Check them before your visit.