Floriańska, al. Solidarności, Ząbkowska, Kawęczyńska

Spiritual Praga

We can start our walk in Floriańska Street which was laid out in the 1860s. as one of the streets diverging radially from the then established Aleksandrowski Square (now known as  Weteranów 1863). At No. 3 is the neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian the Martyr built from 1886 to 1901. 

 

  It was designed by Józef Pius Dziekoński. It is worth appreciating not only the interior of the church but also the mosaics on the front elevation – one of them depicts the coat of arms of Praga.

[Next] we head towards  Solidarności Street, where the Orthodox church, which has the status of a cathedral, is located at number 52. The street was laid out on the Praga’s side [of the river] in 1862 and was called Aleksandrowska Street, and then from 1916 – Zygmuntowska Street. The church in Solidarności St. is in the Byzantine-Russian style and has Mary Magdalene as its patron saint. In 1928 the church was divided into two parts – the upper (new style) and lower (old style) part dedicated to the Passion of Christ. The church can be visited from Monday to Friday from 11 am to 3:30 pm.

As we walk down Aleja Solidarności, we come to Targowa Street, whose origins date back to the 12th/13th century and are related to a large market in the village of Targowe Wielkie. As we head right, we see the Museum of Warsaw Praga which is located at 50/52 Targowa Street. Two Jewish prayer houses are located here. The 1926 inventory of synagogues indicates that there were 18 private houses of prayer in Targowa alone. The restored paintings in two of them can be seen in an outbuilding in Targowa Street. They are valuable as the Jewish synagogues in Kłopotowskiego and Bródnowska Streets did not survive to this day.

The last point on the route, which requires covering a longer distance, is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at 53 Kawęczyńska Street. The street got its name at the beginning of the 20th century; you may also come across the spelling “Kawenczyńska”. The temple can be reached by tram, heading towards Kijowska Street (the Kawęczyńska-Basilica stop). The building is modeled on the architecture of the Roman basilica of St.  Paul behind the Walls.

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Floriańska, al. Solidarności, Ząbkowska, Kawęczyńska