Church of St. Stanisław Kostko

The Church of St. Stanisław Kostko has existed since 1867. Built in the so-called "Polish" style, with luxury and scope, it is today considered the Mother of all churches of the Polish diaspora in Chicago.

Since the second half of the XIX century, the influx of immigrants from Poland has increased dramatically. Along with him, the number of parishioners grew. The construction of a large temple became an urgent necessity. The cornerstone of the current church building was laid in 1877, and in 1881 the new church was consecrated. In just 15 years, the parish of St. Stanislaus Costco Church has become the largest in the United States: 8,000 families with a total of more than 40,000 people regularly attended services at the temple. In the early 1950s, it was decided to demolish the temple for the construction of the Kennedy Expressway, but the influence of the Polish diaspora was already so great that the church was left in place, but the highway was moved.

The architecture of the building echoes many historical cathedrals of the XVI century, located in Poland. These were the heyday of the great Commonwealth, which was reflected in the grandiose religious buildings. The painting above the altar, depicting the Mother of God with the baby Jesus, was made by the famous artist Tadeusz Zhukotinsky. Beautiful chandeliers of the nave were created in the workshop of Louis Tiffany, and magnificent stained glass windows were made to special order in Bavaria.