Gallery

Lo and Behold!

After 63 Danzig Reports, St. Brigid’s surfaces, and on an old print, to boot. I have always been puzzled about Lech Walesa’s home parish in Gdansk, since it has never appeared in the old books or photos of the city. Imagine, St. Brigid’s, next to St. Catherine’s, and it has never been mentioned before, at least not to my knowledge. But then, what about the Great Synagogue, the main house of worship for the Jews of Danzig ? Had it ever been mentioned or singled out as an important building ? Never ! in 1938, the Danzig (Nazi) parliament had it demolished, with the needed cash going toward passage money for many Jews to escape to the Western countries. Another mystery!
- John Gilroy
Albany, NY


St. Brigid has certainly been a mystery, mainly due to its low profile, both literally and figuratively. For instance, if it was used as a meeting place for Lech and Margaret Thatcher, why weren’t exterior photos published in the news ? Did you notice that only tight closeups, with no building identification, were taken during President Bush’s visit to Gdansk? Haven’t those reporters and producers heard about the historical importance of the area ? Maybe they are too young. Anyway, if you go to Gdansk and look for the main tower of St. Brigid’s, you are in for a difficult task. In spite of the woodcut from Dan Press (A) referred to above and the picture post card (B), few references will help. In the maps sent in by Bill Ruh and Giles, the adjacent churches of Katherinen K. and Nonnen K. (Nun’s Convent) are thusly identified. Brigid is named in another 1904 map (D). From our room on the eleventh floor of the Hotel Hevelius, we took dozens of shots, not realizing that the tower was less than a block away. (St. Catherine was the dominant close landmark.) Back home, it took quite an effort to find the Maler Gasse shown on the card and, by magnifying the only photo that contains the tower (F), we could positively identify that St. Brigid, Brigittenkirche and the Sw. Brygid are one and the same. No false reports of its C :. Brigid lives!

 

Danzig Report  Nr. 64 - July - August - September - 1989, Page 32.