The Church of St. John of God and St. Andrew the Apostle

Main data:

Year of construction: 1728
Year of reconstruction: 1954
Designer: Antonio Solari
Location: ul. Bonifraterska 12

Among the churches on the New Town, this one (its full name is the church of St. John of God and of St. Andrew the Apostle) is most peripherally located, actually on the borderland with Muranow district. And for sure it is the most modest one. This fact is connected with the rules of the monastery it belongs to - Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God (Polish: Bonifratrzy). Their main field of work is medical welfare, pharmacy and charity. The wealth is less important for them.

Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God first came to Poland from Vienna, in 17th century, when they were called to cure the king Zygmunt III Waza. But they were brought to Warsaw later, in 1649, by Boguslaw Leszczynski. Their monastery was situated initially at Leszno street, then in 1664 it was moved to Krolewska street (to the place of today's Saxon Garden) and in 1728 they settled in today's place. The construction of the church took place from 1726 to 1728. A modest, one-naved temple was designed by Antonio Solari. In 1750s on the back of the church a monastery building, designed by Antonio Solari and Jozef Fontana was constructed. The Brothers did a lot of charity work, they took care of the poorest Warsaw inhabitants and also lead a psychiatric hospital in their monastery building. For their help to the insurgents during November Uprising, and later in the January Uprising, the Tsar authorities decided to secularize the order in 1864.

On 23rd of August 1944 the former monastery building was bombed, in result about 300 people who were there were killed, and the buildings were completely destroyed. After second world war, on the initiative of cardinal August Hlond, Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God came back to Warsaw. The church was reconstructed in years 1950-54. The monastery buildings were reconstructed only fragmentarily, today the parish is located there (on the back of the temple). The monastery is located now in a new building, located at Sapiezynska street no. 3, constructed in years 1986-91. The Brothers lead here a social welfare centre, a canteen for poor people, a health centre and a pharmacy. And the temple is now as modest as it used to be when it was constructed. In its quiet interior we can see a painting with the patron saint - St. John of God (in the main altar) and also a painting of Our Lady of Drohobych, which was given to the church in 2001. Inside we can also see two plaques commemorating fights in the area of the church in 1944 and the after-war reconstruction, and also an epitaph of a doctor Antoni Sulimowski from 1861. On the outside wall there is a plaque from 1928, which commemorates the 200. anniversary of the hospital's foundation.

Practical information:

The masses in the church of St. John of God and St. Andrew the Apostle take place from Monday to Friday at 7, 8.30 (except July and August) and 18, and on Sundays and holidays at 7, 8.30, 10, 11.30, 13 (except July and August) and 18.

The church from the outside:

The interior: