Siedlce Cathedral

The two brick towers of Siedlce Cathedral are 75 m high and the tallest structure in town, visible from far across the flat landscape of eastern Mazovia. The Neo-Gothic Church of the Immaculate Conception was built in 1906–1912 and became a cathedral in 1924, when the Diocese of Siedlce was restored. After years of silence its 1928 organ plays again, and the second instrument hides parts brought from a Bavarian convent.

History: a church on land from a credit society

The church was designed by the provincial architect Zygmunt Zdański, and construction was led by Fr Józef Scipio del Campo. The plot was donated by Ludwik Górski on behalf of the Land Credit Society. It was consecrated on 21 September 1913 by Bishop Franciszek Jaczewski of Lublin. The parish was established in 1919, and a papal bull of 25 January 1924 raised the church to cathedral status. The interior was completed in 1928 with money collected by clergy and faithful for the tenth anniversary of the diocese's revival.

The stained-glass windows were destroyed in the Second World War and later recreated. Before John Paul II's visit to Siedlce in 1999, the chancel was thoroughly renovated and a new stained-glass window was fitted in the central window of the façade. The cathedral has been on the heritage register since 1983.

What to see

• The twin-towered façade of red brick with three pointed-arch portals; it looks best from across the street.
• The three-aisled interior on a Latin-cross plan, measuring about 19 × 52 m, with a nave some 16.5 m high.
• The main organ, built in 1928 by Dominik Biernacki, with 30 stops and restored in 2017–2019.
• The chancel organ of 2004 (20 stops), with pipes concealed above the sacristies on both sides of the altar.
• The stained glass, including the new façade window from the late 1990s.

Interesting facts

The main organ fell silent in 2004, and after a complete overhaul by organ builder Michał Klepacki it was blessed on 27 April 2019 by Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko. Today it is also used for concerts. The chancel organ was assembled by Marian Leśniczuk of Korczew using cone chests by the F. B. Maerz firm taken from the Franciscan sisters' church in Au am Inn in Bavaria. The cathedral is on the eastern loop of the "Pearls of Mazovia" heritage route, and the route's information board stands outside.

Tripto tip

The cathedral is at ul. Bp. I. Świrskiego 55, about fifteen minutes' walk from the railway station. It is a working church, so visit outside Mass times and keep quiet. According to the diocese website (as of October 2026) Mass is said on Sundays at 6:30, 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 16:00 (except in summer holidays), 18:00 and 20:00, and on weekdays at 6:00, 7:00, 12:00 and 18:00; the parish office phone number is +48 25 632 21 03. Allow 20–30 minutes for the interior. Nearby, see the Ogiński Palace with Aleksandria Park and the Baroque town hall known as "Jacek", which houses the regional museum; the whole centre can be explored in 2–3 hours. Siedlce lies about 90 km east of Warsaw on the railway line to Terespol.