Kościół pw. Pana Jezusa Dobrego Pasterza
Churches of Kraków
Church (Roman Catholic), Prądnik Czerwony district.
History
The beginnings of the Good Shepherd parish go back to 1922. The faithful of Prądnik Czerwony then belonged to the parish of St Nicholas. When the residents sought a parish of their own, Father Józef Mazurek was sent to organise it. Thanks to his efforts, in 1923 the residents built a wooden church with a tower, designed by Artur Romanowski. Archbishop Adam Stefan Sapieha consecrated it on 16 December 1923. The church had three naves, and the tower was topped with a shingled cupola. In 1926 a painting of the Good Shepherd was hung in the altar, and in 1934 a grotto with a statue of Our Lady was built next to the church.
In 1966 the wooden building began to threaten collapse. It was reinforced with a timber framework, but in the end it was decided to demolish it, which was done in 1971. The new church with the same dedication was built in 1971-1974 to a design by the Kraków architect Wojciech Pietrzyk. It was conceived as a memorial to the people of Kraków who were tortured to death in German prisons and concentration camps. It was consecrated in 2000.
The building has three naves and a reinforced concrete structure. The east wall is glazed, a single-pitch roof spans the whole, and the tower rises above the southern part. The crypt houses the Chapel of Martyrdom, which holds urns with soil from places of martyrdom as well as commemorative plaques. Outside stands a sculpture of the Good Shepherd made in 1986 by Kazimierz Malski, and on the 29 Listopada Avenue side there is a monument to John Paul II created in 1998 by Stefan Kowalówka.
Did you know?
In 1955 a new high altar from the Church of the Holy Cross was brought to the old wooden church. When the church was demolished, the bell tower was left standing, but it burned down in 1993.