St Agnes' Church in Goniądz

The white church with its tall tower in the centre of Goniądz is the latest of the churches that have stood here since the Middle Ages and a reminder of the turbulent history of this small town on the Biebrza river. It was built in 1922–1924 to a design by Oskar Sosnowski, and twenty years later the retreating Germans blew up its towers.

History

The parish in Goniądz was endowed before 1430 by Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The wooden church of 1779–1780, funded partly by Izabela Branicka née Poniatowska, burned down in 1921. Parish priest Adam Abramowicz built a new brick church in a style drawing on the Polish Baroque. In September 1924 it was consecrated by Jerzy Matulewicz, Bishop of Vilnius, now beatified by the Catholic Church.

On 10 August 1944 the retreating Germans destroyed the towers; the explosion badly damaged the building. After the cracked vaults and walls were taken down, the church was rebuilt in 1949–1955. In 1970–1972 the interior received new wall paintings by the Poznań artists Teodor Szukała and Henryk Kot; in the 1990s the roof was covered with copper, and since 2002 the church has been floodlit at night.

What to see

• The building with a tall front tower, white walls, round windows and dark spires.
• The 1970s wall paintings inside.
• The fieldstone wall surrounding the church.
• St Florian's Chapel on the hill behind the church, about 200 metres away.

Tripto tip

The church stands in the centre of Goniądz, on ul. Mickiewicza. You can see the interior before or after Mass. Fifteen minutes is enough, and from here you can walk up to St Florian's Chapel on the hill. Goniądz is a good base for Biebrza National Park and Osowiec Fortress, a few kilometres away.