Shrine of St. Faustina (Warsaw)

A large plot framed by Żelazna, Żytnia and Wronia streets in the then half-rural part of the Wola district[1] was purchased by archbishop of Warsaw Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński from Ksawery Pusłowski in 1862.

[2] The same year he transferred Western part of the plot to congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy,[3] the order freshly founded in Warsaw with the intention to provide assistance to troubled girls, commonly known as "magdalenki".

[6] The task of developing the monastery coincided with outbreak of the January Uprising and ensuing Russian crackdown on perceived foci of rebellion; the measures applied were directed also against the Roman-Catholic Church and religious orders.

[18] The main nave was extended by few meters, an aisle was added along the Western wall, the chancel was slightly broadened and a bell-tower was built next to the South-Western corner of the temple; the chapel turned into a small church and as such is referred to in some sources.

[21] On August 2, 1944, during the second day of the Warsaw Uprising, the Sisters admitted into their premises detachments of the Parasol battalion, the insurgent unit which controlled the area; the rebels took part in the afternoon mass in the church.

[27] After the war the compound for decades remained a fenced moonscape, hosting ruins, half-demolished houses, and provisional wooden structures; some of the buildings were subject to further destruction at the hands of individuals in search of re-usable bricks.

[30] Until the early 1970s the dilapidating ruins were the only pre-war Warsaw temple which has not been brought back to shape and the entire quarter was standing out among neighboring sections, developed with large condo-type residential buildings.

[35] In 1977 the office for historical monuments – uninterested in the building so far - formally approved of refurbishment, though actual terms remain unclear; according to some sources walls were to be kept intact,[36] according to others interior was to "retain traces of the past".

[40] As space for development was abundant, according to Czarnowski himself he intended to set up sort of a community center, with lecture room, kindergarten and other facilities;[41] his plan was also to link the site to the memory of the Ghetto and the Warsaw Uprising.

[45] Following declaration of martial law in late 1981 many artists refused to operate within official dissemination channels, perceived as outposts of totalitarian regime; in search for alternative infrastructure they increasingly turned towards the Church.

[52] Bogucki designed the event in line with Szeemann’s concept of replacing the "white cube" exhibition formula with site-specific setting;[53] the result was extraordinary, as artefacts were displayed in a ruined building site amidst bags of concrete, piles of bricks, loose cables and often construction workers pushing wheelbarrows.

The years of 1983-1985 saw annual Obecność exhibitions,[56] Zaduszki poetyckie and other performances by Akademia Ruchu,[57] seminars like Week of Christian Culture with 44 novelists attending,[58] avant-garde theatrical plays – often with censorship ban, like Raport z Oblężonego Miasta by Teatr Ósmego Dnia,[59] poetic evenings like the one by Jan Twardowski[60] or poster reviews.

[79] By the end of the decade the church premises started to host leaders of semi-clandestine Solidarity;[80] during one of these meetings in late 1988 they set up Komitet Obywatelski przy Lechu Wałęsie, a body which later served as informal executive of political opposition.

Following 20 years of incessant renovation efforts, in the mid-1990s the church turned from insulated ruin to a crude but usable temple; major improvements included a primitive roof of acrylic glass, solid windows, wooden floor which covered the basement and basic interior equipment.

[88] Some noted that mass in the crude, bullet-ridden red-brick building with stars shining over the transparent roof made an unforgettable experience; others asserted that the new project envisioned a banal construction with no architectural value.

Polak launched two specific initiatives which stand out as peculiarity of the Divine Mercy and St. Faustina parish;[99] one is the 24/7 perpetual Eucharistic adoration, practiced since the burglary suffered in 2000,[100] and a popular feast Żytnią do nieba, organized early September since 2005.

The canteen at the corner of Leszno and Okopowa has been closed and most services performed in the premises have been formally transferred to Caritas, the religious charity organization; however, queues of the homeless and destitute city dwellers are still trademark of the church neighborhood.

[103] Stosur launched new initiatives, e.g. a Prayer Support Group,[104] currently defunct youth football team, dedicated film screenings in Warsaw cinemas, discount schemes offered by a friendly theater or bus tours following nationwide religious tourist trails.

During Stosur's tenure the church keeps hosting cultural events, though they do not resemble massive and nationally known episodes of the 1980s; every some time there are theatric plays, concertos, recitals, film screenings, lectures or poetry sessions organized.

[105] A new initiative is mass said to honor the insurgents of the Warsaw Uprising, organized on anniversary of the August 2, 1944 service for the Parasol Battalion; attendants include a group of re-enactors in complete military gear and afterwards the parishioners and guests are walked past major 1944 combat sites in the area.

[106] In practical terms, the change included the church on the list of targets of religious tourism, fairly popular in Poland, and reinforced already growing stream of pilgrims pursuing the itinerary of St. Faustina.