Description of the attraction
The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic church in Krakowskie Przedmiecie in Warsaw, which is better known as the Carmelite Church. The church is one of the most significant sights of Warsaw in the 13th century, included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The present church is the second building to be erected on the site of a wooden church originally built for the barefoot Carmelites in 1643 and burnt down by the Swedes in 1650.
The new building was founded in 1661 by the Polish primate Michal Stefan Radziejewski. The construction of the church was completed by the end of the 17th century, and the facade began to be created only in 1761 in the neoclassical style, designed by the Hungarian architect Efraim Szreger. The eminent 18th century artist Shimon Szechovich and Franciszek Smuglevich worked on the interior of the church. The interior of the church is made in the Rococo style with luxurious gilding and stucco decorations. Chopin was invited here to give his first recital.
In 1864, after the January uprising, the monastery was liquidated by the tsarist regime as a stronghold of Polish patriotism. The buildings of the church were adapted for the seminary.
During World War II, the church was saved from destruction and received only minor damage.
