St. Vincent de Paul Basilica Minor in Bydgoszcz is located in downtown Bydgoszcz, Poland, at Ossoliński Alley, 2. It is dedicated to saint Vincent de Paul. The basilica, completed in 1945, has been designed by Polish architect Adam Ballenstedt and comprises the church, a monastery and a park. It has been registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List on 30 May 1996.^[1] Minor Basilica dedication has been carried out during a ceremony chaired by Pope John Paul II, on 3 June 1997^[2]

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St. Vincent de Paul Basilica Minor in Bydgoszcz
Polish: Bazylika św. Wincentego à Paulo w Bydgoszczy
St. Vincent de Paul Basilica Minor from Ossoliński Alley
General information
Type	Catholic Church
Architectural style	Neoclassical architecture
Classification	Nr.601231, Reg.A/846/1-2 (30 May 1996)[1]
Location	Poland
Address	2 Ossoliński Alley
Town or city	Bydgoszcz
Completed	1945
Inaugurated	1997 (Basilica)
Height	55m (cupola top)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Adam Ballenstedt
Website
http://www.bydgoskabazylika.pl/

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In 1923, Priests of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Vincent de Paul have been invited to Bydgoszcz by Cardinal Edmund Dalbor, Archbishop of Gniezno and Poznań, appealing to open a new pastoral facility and small seminar in the town. Further, this request would support:^[2]

• the erection of a church for Poles in a part of the city devoid of temple;
• balancing anti-Polish activities of German citizen;
• the celebration of the return of Bydgoszcz region to Motherland and the 300th anniversary of the Congregation of the Mission.

The same year, Bydgoszcz municipal authorities offered an extensive plot of land for the new church and missionary school.

In March 1924, architect Adam Ballenstaedt from Poznan started preparatory works. On 1 May 1924 a decree of Cardinal Edmund Dalbor erected the St. Vincent de Paul to parish level, and on 15 October 1925 missionary priests, led by Father Antoni Mazurkiewicz, began their pastoral work. The foundation stone for the church was solemnly laid on 27 September 1925 by Bishop Antoni Laubitz from Gniezno. At the ceremony, city authorities were represented by Vice-Mayor, Dr. Chmielewski, City Council by its president Janicki with counselors and Polish armed forces by General Wiktor Thommée.^[3]

By the end of 1927, the chancel was built, and in the early 1928, foundation works started under the body of the aisle.

Part of the budget of the quickly developing project has needed the involvement of parish priest Fr. Antoni Mazurkiewicz and his successor, Father Ludwik Moska, who traveled regularly to the United States to raise funds from Polish Americans.^[3]

The Private High School began operating in 1931, run by priests of Bydgoszcz Congregation. However, lacking funds, it only functioned two years: in 1933 the institution was closed and the students were moved to Kraków.^[2]

At the beginning of 1932, both wings of the church were completed, one of them established as a school for boys. At the end of 1933, the walls of the rotunda were erected, in 1935 the reinforced concrete dome was set. At the end of 1938, the church was roughly finished. The outbreak of WWII required a swift completion of the dome covered with a roof, with an internal staircase connecting the Assembly House with the church.

On 16 September 1939 the church was closed by German army and the missionary aisle taken over to be used as a warehouse by German troops and police. The building was desecrated, its equipment stolen. During their withdrawal from the city, retreating German forces set fire to the edifice on 19 January 1945, which lasted three days. The incoming Soviet troops fired artillery shells at the church, severely damaging the dome and causing another fire on the residential part of the attic.

On 15 March 1945 first new missionaries arrived from Kraków, rubble was removed and the church re-opened for worship. On 27 May the edifice hosted regular worship. Then began the long process of reconstruction:

• in 1949, the chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa was rebuilt, on a design by Jan Kossowski;
• in the 1950s, interior walls of the church were plastered and altars re-installed;

After declining a series of projects, Polish authorities authorised in 1966 the construction of the outer dome started.^[2]

From 1967 on, works on the reconstruction of the church have been led by architect Wiktor Zin. According to Zin's draft, marble pilasters with Corinthian capitals were placed inside, a choir built and reflective mirrored mosaic installed. Wiktor Zin also designed mosaics on the ceilings, sanctuary decor, rosettes in the coffers of the dome and stained glass windows.

The consecration ceremony took place on 22 May 1980 in a mass celebrated by Primate of the Millennium Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, with the participation Father Tadeusz Gocłowski, representing the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Vincent de Paul.^[2]

1996 was the year of the completion of "The Doors of the Beatitudes" on the main frontage, designed by Michał Kubiak.

In the following years, further additions have been carried out: a marble floor was laid across, the exterior walls were plastered using originally designed stucco details. On 7 October 1997 Pope John Paul II elevated the church to the rank of Minor basilica during a mass held in Gniezno.

On 27 September 2000 jubilee celebrations took place in the basilica to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the arrival in Poland of the Missionaries of St. Vincent de Paul, in presence of many distinguished guests, like Father Robert Maloney, Chief of Congregation of the Mission from Rome, Archbishop Henryk Muszyński and Archbishop Tadeusz Gocłowski.

The basilica is located in the immediate vicinity of the area named Idyll district (Polish: Sielanka), developed, planned and designed in the early 1920s by German architect Josef Stübben.

• General view
• Front entrance
• View of one of the aisle
• Back view
• Detail of a Corinthian column
• Doors of Blessings
• Cartouche celebrating the church elevated to the rank of Minor basilica
• Bird eye view
• Statue of St. Vincent de Paul
• Nave view
• Mozaic
• Mozaic Creation of the world
• Cupola

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Vincent de Paul Basilica Minor in Bydgoszcz.

• Bydgoszcz
• Ossoliński Alley
• Kopernika Street in Bydgoszcz
• Jagiellońska street in Bydgoszcz