Churches in Poland

I was in Poland for 14 wonderful days, and in that time, I visited more churches than I can count, certainly double the number of days I was there. I think I was in more different churches in Poland than I have been in my whole lifetime up to this, and I know for sure that I was in church more times in those 14 days than I have been in the past 20 plus years! And it was a wonderful experience.

First of all, I have posted some of my Church photos from Poland here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/images/2010PolandTour/Churches/index.html. But a few words are in order about the photos themselves. First of all, taking a photo in a church is hard. Oftentimes, a flash won’t work, and the light is low. I tried to compensate in two ways. First, I had my monopod, so that helped at times. Second, sometimes I’d just set the camera on an available pew or ledge or shelf and trip the timer–but sometimes the time was a second, or two, or more! So, some of the interior photos are blurry and some are at odd angles. And sometimes they turned out pretty good (though could truthfully use some better post-processing. But in essence, a lot of times they do a good job of capturing the feel, if not all the detail.

Secondly, a note about my most absolute, favorite, 100% one one place to visit: Wawel. I did not take any photos inside the churches there. Oh, yeah, I could have purchased a photo pass to allow me to, but we were on a tour, it was crowded, and the buildings were closing early that day. I could not have done it justice. So, if you want to see inside of Wawel, check the Internet, there are  lots of good photos there. I have in my heart grand memories of the inside of those churches, and photos of the outside in my Kraków photos (here).

So, that said, let me tell you a bit about the churches in Poland. It was a wonderful, absolutely amazing experience to visit many of these places. The Poles are a people of deep faith, and that faith has been kept alive through wars, partitions, separations, and many other calamities. But their faith has kept them going. Keep in mind that in many of these photos, you are seeing churches that have been partially (or mostly) demolished in various wars and conflagrations–but always the people rebuilt them with a reverent preservation of the past.

To some extent, these churches reminded me of my earliest experience of a Catholic Church, the “old” St. Hedwig’s in rural Thorp, Wisconsin, the church were I was baptized, and the first church I remember. St. Hedwig’s was built by the sweat and tears of the Polish people who settled in that area of Wisconsin, and for many, many years they supported it with money, with labor, and with love. I remember attending Christmas Eve Mass there as a young child, and thinking I heard angels singing in the Kolędy (Polish Christmas Carols) they sang. I have very fond remembrances of St. Hedwig’s. Unfortunately, in the 1980’s a greedy bishop sold the furnishing of the interior of the church and decomissioned it–I’d like to think there is a special place in hell reserved for him and his greed. But anyway, though the building still stands and is being restored, it’s furnishings and adornments, many of them, are long gone. But I digress.

So many churches in Poland reminded me of St. Hedwig’s. It was an aswesome and mind-bending experience. Within the churches, you can “see” and “feel” the deep and heartfelt piety of the people. In many churches, there were people praying. I was a moving experience.

So, I cannot put into words all that I experienced here, but in a sense, I experienced the “heart” of the Polish people, a very pious nation whose piety, with the help of a Polish Pope–among others–helped liberate them from communism and socialism and the backwardness that that entailed and propell them into the forefront of the 21st century.

So, enjoy the photos, feel free to submit your comments. The churches are awesome and speak for themselves!

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