Cross of the Miraculous Jesus in Warsaw – witness of faith and miracles for 500 years

image: ©Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska

Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska

Many years ago, my godmother told me to entrust my thoughts and prayers to the Cross of the Miraculous Jesus, located in the Baryczko Chapel of the Archcathedral Basilica of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw. And that’s exactly what I did – and I still do so to this day.

Twenty-two years ago, I was married in that cathedral. After the wedding ceremony, my husband and I knelt together before this extraordinary crucifix and prayed. Since then, every time I am in Warsaw, I visit the Miraculous Cross. And at home, in the Netherlands – 1,300 kilometers away – I always keep a picture of it with me.

There is no cross in Warsaw so steeped in prayer as this Crucifix. It is called miraculous. Nor is there in Warsaw an older devotional and artistic object surrounded by uninterrupted veneration. “You could say this is the heart of Warsaw,” says Bishop Michał Janocha, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Warsaw.

And I can confirm that. I have never been alone – even when the world stood still or suddenly trembled. The Miraculous Cross has worked miracles. Not only for me, but for many generations of the faithful who have prayed before it.

For 500 years it has been surrounded by special devotion and is renowned for countless graces. It is also the most valuable late-medieval sculpture in Warsaw. This year, solemn celebrations are planned for the 500th anniversary of the bringing of the Cross of the Miraculous Jesus to the capital – an anniversary celebrated almost throughout the entire year.

Thrice Miraculous

The sculpture of the “Christ of the Baryczkos” depicts Christ dead after great suffering. His head, crowned with a heavy crown of thorns, is lowered. His cheeks are sunken, his nose elongated, and his face bears an expression of pain.

Before this cross, in pivotal moments for the Polish nation, kings and presidents prayed, as did two popes – St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. This cross has been venerated by rulers, participants of uprisings, and the residents of Warsaw. Kneeling before it and asking for victory were Polish kings Stefan Batory, Sigismund III Vasa, and Stanisław August Poniatowski, as well as Polish national heroes Hetman Stefan Czarniecki and Tadeusz Kościuszko.

At the foot of the cross, services inaugurating successive sessions of parliament were held. In this church took place the coronations of Polish King Stanisław Leszczyński in 1705 and Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1764. Of particular importance was the oath of the Constitution of May 3rd in 1791 – the first constitution in Europe and the second in the world after the American one.

After Poland regained independence in 1918, it was before this cross that Monsignor Achille Ratti, then Apostolic Nuncio, received his episcopal ordination from Cardinal Aleksander Kakowski. Three years later, he was elected pope and took the name Pius XI.

According to Bishop Michał Janocha, the cross is “thrice miraculous.” As he explains in an essay devoted to it: “As a work of art, it is an artistic miracle. Its existence in a city condemned to nonexistence is a historical miracle. Its uninterrupted veneration for five centuries, which can be described, and the individual encounters with it, which cannot be described – are a theological miracle. These three miracles – artistic, historical, and theological – intertwine in a wondrous way in the history of the people and generations of Warsaw and Mazovia, like nature, culture, and grace.”

image: ©Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska

Celebration of 500 Years of the Baryczko Cross

For five centuries, the miraculous Baryczko Cross from Warsaw’s cathedral has been continuously venerated by the inhabitants of the capital, as well as by pilgrims and tourists. This year, festive celebrations are planned in honor of the 500th anniversary of the crucifix’s arrival in Warsaw, taking place almost throughout the entire year.

The jubilee celebrations were inaugurated with a Holy Mass attended by the Polish Bishops’ Conference.

From April to December, on the 14th of each month, a special novena is being held in the Archbasilica of St. John the Baptist, accompanied by catechesis sessions dedicated to the Baryczko Cross.

“We have also invited the Metropolitan of Bamberg, Bishop Emeritus Ludwig Schick. That is the diocese in which Nuremberg is located – the place where the cross was made,” adds Bishop Michał Janocha.

These gatherings form a spiritual preparation for the main jubilee celebrations, which will take place on:

• September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
• December 14, near the close of the Holy Year

Not Only Religious Significance

The Baryczko Cross is not only an exceptional object of religious veneration but also a valuable monument of culture and art. That is why, as part of the jubilee celebrations, not only liturgical events have been planned.

The Museum of the Archdiocese of Warsaw has commissioned a painting dedicated to the Baryczko Cross from renowned Polish artist Ignacy Czwartos. It will be presented at the museum on September 3. Competitions for children and young people have also been announced.

Two short films have been produced, including a special piece entitled “O Jesus from the Warsaw Cathedral” by Fr. Rafał Jaworski, as well as a book on the history of the Baryczko Cross, which also contains meditations on the Stations of the Cross written by sculptor Łukasz Krupski – the author of the Stations of the Cross in the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist.

As part of outreach activities, this autumn there will also be a lecture from the “Spirituality for Warsaw” series, dedicated to the Baryczko Cross.

History of the Crucifix

In 1525, the Gothic crucifix was brought from Nuremberg to Warsaw by wealthy merchant and city councillor Jerzy Baryczko – hence its name, Baryczko Cross. The work was created in Nuremberg at the end of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th century.

The cross, now located in the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, is inseparably linked to the history of Warsaw. It survived the partitions of Poland, wars, and national disasters. During World War II, even though the cathedral was almost completely destroyed, the cross survived.

One of the most frequently cited proofs of the special veneration for this crucifix are the events of the Warsaw Uprising. In August 1944, during the barbaric destruction of the cathedral by the Nazis, only a fragment of the church with the Chapel of the Miraculous Lord Jesus remained – and once again the cross survived.

During the fighting for the Old Town, on August 16, 1944, the cross was carried out of the burning archcathedral by Fr. Wacław Karłowicz, with the help of two nurses from the Home Army “Wigry” scout battalion: Barbara Gancarczyk-Piotrowska, codename “Pająk” (“Spider”), and Teresa Potulicka-Łatyńska, codename “Michalska”.

The rescued crucifix was taken to the insurgent hospital in the basement of St. Hyacinth’s Church in the New Town. There, a moving scene took place – the hospital chaplain, who in the darkness was administering the sacrament of anointing to dying insurgents, is said to have symbolically given it also to Jesus from the Baryczko Cross.

After the war, on Palm Sunday in 1948, the Miraculous Cross returned to its chapel. Its return was a great manifestation of the faith of Warsaw’s residents. In a solemn procession led by the then Primate of Poland, Cardinal August Hlond (1881–1948), the Baryczko Cross was carried into the ruins of the cathedral and then placed back in the Baryczko Chapel.

To this day, the Blessed Sacrament is kept at the foot of this Cross, and an eternal lamp burns before it without interruption.

History of the Cathedral

The origins of the Archcathedral Basilica of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist are dated to various points in the 13th century, tied to the decisions of the ruling dukes of the Mazovian branch of the Piast dynasty, who were feudal vassals of the Polish Crown.

image: ©Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska

The first specific and documented date concerning the Warsaw Cathedral is the year 1339. At that time, the Warsaw parish church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist became the venue for a court convened by delegates of Pope Benedict XII, whose verdict ordered the Teutonic Knights to return the lands they had seized from Poland and to pay reparations.

By decision of Pope Boniface IX, between 1398 and 1406 the Warsaw parish church was elevated to the rank of a collegiate church. This was achieved through the efforts of Bishop Wojciech Jastrzębiec and Duke Janusz the Elder of the Piast dynasty, who made Warsaw the capital of his duchy and built a large brick temple here.

After the death of the last Mazovian Piasts – whose tomb is in the archcathedral – Mazovia was incorporated into the Polish Crown in 1526. Soon afterwards, Jerzy Baryczko placed in the collegiate church the crucifix of the Miraculous Lord Jesus.

The Collegiate Church of St. John the Baptist grew in significance. By the end of the 16th century, it had become one of the most important churches in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Linked to the Royal Castle in Warsaw, it witnessed many historic events.

In the 17th century, the Gothic church was rebuilt in the Baroque style. It was then one of the richest churches in Poland, with interiors adorned by works of art funded by kings, nobility, and the city’s patriciate. The main altar was funded by King Sigismund III Vasa (1611–1618), and the choir stalls commemorating the victory at Vienna in 1683 were funded by King John III Sobieski.

Among the important events that took place in the church were the coronations of King Stanisław Leszczyński in 1705 and King Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1764. Of particular importance was the oath of the Constitution of May 3rd in 1791 – the first constitution in Europe and the second in the world after the American one. It became a spiritual support during the period of the partitions.

In 1798, the church was elevated to the rank of a cathedral, and in 1817 – to the rank of an archcathedral.

In the first half of the 19th century, the archcathedral was rebuilt in the style of English Neo-Gothic by Adam Idźkowski. In this form, it survived until World War II. Numerous drawings, paintings, and photographs showing its appearance and role during the restoration of independence have been preserved. As early as September 1939, the cathedral was damaged by Luftwaffe air raids and artillery shelling.

In 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, the cathedral became the site of heavy fighting. The insurgent forces defended every meter of the floor. The Germans brought in a trap-tank, which, when it exploded, destroyed much of the building. After the fall of the uprising, the so-called Vernichtungskommando (destruction unit) blew up the cathedral with TNT charges, destroying 90% of its walls.

“The Warsaw Cathedral fell victim to the hatred of the invader, who in the very Capital blew up several dozen of the largest churches.” – Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, Letter to John XXIII requesting a blessing, May 2, 1960.

Amid the ruins of Warsaw, on May 30, 1946, Cardinal August Hlond delivered his famous inaugural sermon: “Rebuild Warsaw as the sanctity of the nation.” A year later, he established the Primate’s Council for the Reconstruction of Warsaw’s Churches, which continued the cathedral’s reconstruction even after his death. The work was overseen by his successor – Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński – even during his internment.

The archcathedral was reconstructed with great care according to the design of Professor Jan Zachwatowicz, in the style of Mazovian Gothic. The interior regained its splendor, and surviving monuments were placed inside, including the figure of the Crucified Christ, a masterpiece of Gothic sculpture venerated by Warsaw’s residents. As for centuries, the Miraculous Christ remains in the Baryczko Chapel, whose walls survived in the ruins.

Other destroyed monuments were also meticulously recreated – including the tomb of the last Mazovian dukes and the monument of Stanisław Małachowski, co-author of the Constitution of May 3rd.

The consecration of the rebuilt cathedral took place on June 9, 1960. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.

In 1980, the entire Warsaw Old Town – along with the archcathedral and the Royal Castle – was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. This occurred shortly after John Paul II’s memorable speech at UNESCO headquarters in Paris: “A nation is that great community of people united by various bonds, but above all by culture. A nation exists through culture and for culture.”

On the front of the church is a plaque with the inscription: “John Paul II, the Polish Pope, began his pilgrimage through his homeland from this Cathedral on June 2, 1979.”

At that time, Cardinal Wyszyński said: “St. John’s Cathedral, younger sister of the royal cathedrals in Gniezno and on Wawel, greets you, Holy Father.” The Primate of the Millennium died on May 28, 1981. During subsequent pilgrimages, John Paul II knelt at his tomb. In 1987, he said: “I also come to kneel at the tomb of the deceased Primate of the Millennium, to which many compatriots come to pray. Very often, this is undoubtedly a prayer for the Homeland.”

That same year, on June 8, during his third pilgrimage to Poland, John Paul II crossed the threshold of the archcathedral. He adored the Blessed Sacrament in the Baryczko Chapel. In the presbytery, he held a brief conversation.

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