St Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Łomża

Łomża Cathedral is a textbook example of Masovian Gothic – with a few surprises. The side aisles hide crystal vaults, rare in this part of Poland; the aisles hold Renaissance tombs from the workshop of Santi Gucci; and set into the wall of the tower is a stone resembling a mask, possibly a former pagan cult object. It is also the shrine of Our Lady of Fair Love, whose image was crowned by Pope John Paul II in 1991.

History: the parish church of the Dukes of Masovia

Work on the present church began in the early 16th century under the Dukes of Masovia, Janusz and Stanisław, and their mother Anna, after an earlier church on Popowa Góra had fallen into decline. Construction was overseen by Andrzej Noskowski, Bishop of Płock, who consecrated the church in 1525. Around 1550 it was remodelled as a pseudo-basilica and vaulted. One hypothesis holds that the chancel is older than the rest and may have been the castle chapel of the Dukes of Masovia from the early 15th century – a scholarly interpretation, not an established fact. After damage during the Swedish wars, the interior was given a Baroque look designed by Józef Szymon Bellotti (works in 1691–1692). In 1925 the church became the cathedral of the newly created Diocese of Łomża. During the Second World War it escaped being blown up thanks to the efforts of Bishop Stanisław Łukomski, and in 1953–1958 its Gothic character was restored to a design by Władysław Paszkowski.

What to see

• The vaults – star and net vaults in the nave, crystal vaults in the side aisles.
• The Chapel of Our Lady of Łomża – in a late Renaissance altar, the miraculous 16th-century image of Our Lady of Fair Love, crowned by John Paul II on 4 June 1991.
• The Renaissance tombs of the Modliszewski family – the double tomb of Elżbieta and Andrzej from 1589, made in Santi Gucci's workshop, and the epitaph of little Jan Modliszewski (d. 1588).
• The tomb of Starost Mikołaj Troszyński (d. 1575) by Girolamo Canavesi, and the marble tomb of Starost Nikodem Kosakowski (d. 1611).
• The painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the south aisle, painted in 1900 by Wojciech Gerson.
• The stone "mask" set into the outer wall of the tower.

Interesting facts

When the chancel was being renovated in 2005, workers came across a crypt under the floor, which led to archaeological excavations. They uncovered as many as ten crypts and some 70 burials, including the remains of a priest believed to have been the cathedral's builder. The image of Our Lady of Łomża appeared on a postage stamp in 2004, and a stylised silhouette of the cathedral features on a 2007 coin from the "Historic Towns of Poland" series.

Tripto tip

The cathedral is a working parish church; according to the parish website, weekday Masses are at 7:00, 8:00, 12:00 and 18:00, with more on Sundays. Visit the interior between services – allow 30–45 minutes for a quiet look at the tombs and the chapel. The parish has set up QR codes with the church's history and a virtual tour on its website, both worth a look before you go. It is busiest during the feast of Our Lady of Fair Love on the first Sunday of June. The Old Market Square with the town hall is close by.