Sacred Heart Basilica in Augustów

The two 50-metre towers of the basilica can be seen from far above the rooftops of central Augustów – although they were only rebuilt in 1986, more than forty years after the war. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the town's most important church: a light, plastered, three-aisled building from 1906–1911, built on the site of the Neoclassical Church of St Bartholomew. The parish it serves, however, goes back to the town's founder, King Sigismund Augustus.

History: from the king's wooden church to a basilica

According to the parish, King Sigismund Augustus founded the parish on 23 July 1549 and built the first, wooden church here. A brick church followed in 1767 and, after it was destroyed, another in 1842–1847. The present church was built through the efforts of parish priest Fr Wincenty Nowicki, in a style the parish describes as Romanesque Revival and other sources as eclectic. It was consecrated on 18 June 1932 by Bishop Stanisław Kostka Łukomski of Łomża.

In 1944 the church was partly destroyed. The main body was rebuilt as early as 1947 under Fr W. Chojnowski, but the town had to wait until 1986 for the towers. On 19 January 2001 the church was raised to the rank of minor basilica. It is about 50 m long, 20 m wide and 15 m high to the vault. The dedication changed too, but the former patron, St Bartholomew, still stands as a statue on the high altar.

What to see

• The high altar in Renaissance Revival style, in dark oak with gilding, made by the Warsaw workshop of Zygmunt Węgrzecki; in the centre a painting of the Sacred Heart, above it a statue of St Bartholomew.
• Statues by the high altar: St Adalbert, St Stanislaus, St Casimir and St Andrew Bobola.
• The altar of St Anthony in the right aisle, with a painting from 1927 signed by B. Rutkowski.
• The altar of Sts Peter and Paul in the left aisle – same painter, same year.
• Transept altars: St Isidore the Farmer (painting from 1952) and the Holy Family with a painting from 1929.
• A stone with a marble cross in front of the basilica, unveiled on 9 December 2012 in memory of the victims of the 2010 Smolensk air crash, in which Poland's president died.

Did you know?

Four of the five altars share one painter: B. Rutkowski signed their paintings between 1927 and 1952. Three of the oak altarpieces – the high altar, St Anthony's and the Holy Family – came from the same Warsaw workshop of Węgrzecki, so despite war damage the interior has kept a consistent look from the first half of the 20th century.

Tripto tip

The basilica stands at ulica ks. Skorupki 4, a few minutes' walk from the market square. It is a working parish church, so plan your visit outside services and keep quiet; the parish website has current mass times. The interior takes 20–30 minutes – start at the high altar, then walk around the side aisles with Rutkowski's paintings. The best view of the building with both towers and the apse is from the chancel side, across the small square by the church. Combine the visit with a walk along the Netta river and the promenade by Lake Necko.