Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland

The first church
The first church in the village of Stara Dąbrowa, dedicated to St. Alexander, was built between 1875 and 1877. On July 29, 1875, the cornerstone was laid for the church, whose main builder was Father Grzegorz Augustynik . The brick, single-nave structure with two towers in the front was built based on designs by Julian Polcer. Construction was completed on December 4, 1877. It was a branch church of the Holy Trinity parish in Będzin. On October 18, 1885, it was consecrated by the Bishop of Kielce, Tomasz Teofil Kuliński . This church adjoins the northern nave of the present basilica and serves as a chapel dedicated to St. Alexander.

Expansion of the temple
After St. Alexander’s Church was built, it proved too small. The then-caretaker of the church, Father Dutkiewicz, began applying for permission to build a second church in the upper part of Dąbrowa. The authorities submitted a proposal for approval, conditional on the conversion of the existing church into an Orthodox church. Father Dutkiewicz refused this condition, and due to his public criticism, he was forced to flee Dąbrowa to escape the authorities. He reached America, from where he sent funds for the construction of a new church. Eventually, the expansion of St. Alexander’s Church was undertaken, and the authorities agreed. The two towers at the front of the church were demolished, and a new church was practically built, connected to the old one, which was transformed into a spacious chapel. All the workers in Dąbrowa contributed to the financing of the construction, as their workplaces had been deducting contributions from them for several years for the construction of the church. The cornerstone for the church was laid on August 2, 1898, and consecrated by the dean of Będzin, Father Leopold Dobrzański. Built according to the design of Józef Stefan Pomian-Pomianowski, it features a neo-Gothic hall style with a transverse chapel of St. Alexander (a former church). The church has a three-nave layout with two transepts, three towers in the western facade, and two side towers. The resulting church measures 68 meters long, 30 meters wide, and has an internal height of 30 meters with towers. The 86-meter-high main tower with a cross is a dominant feature in the cityscape and makes an impressive impression. It is topped with a steel dome covered with copper sheeting. The main tower has several levels. The highest level is a viewing platform with balconies offering a beautiful panorama of the city. Slightly below is a platform, where the most important element (no longer used today) is a sandbox, designed to slow down the clock’s enormous weights in the event of a break. Unfortunately, the original weights were mysteriously lost. Replacements were installed to keep the clock running. The next level is the clock platform. It houses a mechanism brought from the western part of the country. This old mechanism, after renovation, still keeps time today. Previously, the clock had to be wound once a week using a crank, meaning three heavy weights had to be raised to the ceiling. This single winding was sufficient for a week’s operation. Today, a modern electronic system is installed, ensuring accurate timekeeping. The next platform is the bell tower. Originally, it housed a set of bronze bells from 1934, reportedly donated by shipyard workers from Gdynia .However, during the war, the Germans removed and took away some of the bells. One of them, named Stefan, can still be heard today. Next to it hang steel bells cast at the Bankowa Steelworks in 1947. The entire bell tower structure is made of wooden supports and metal suspensions. All the bells are complete (they have bells). The next level is the balcony level. Observation terraces are approximately two-thirds the height of the side towers. The basilica’s ceiling is a typical Gothic structure. The roof elements covering the basilica building are not supported by domes, but by specially designed wooden supports. The dome vaults form an independent structure, free from any pressure forces transmitted by the roof structure. This level also houses passageways to both side towers. The lowest part of the main tower is the entrance via a winding metal staircase to the wooden choir balcony.