St. Anne's Church, Warsaw

St. Anne's Church Kościół św. Anny (Polish)
Façade with statues of the Four Evangelists.
General information
Architectural style	Neoclassical (façade)
Town or city	Warsaw
Country	Poland
Construction started	1454
Design and construction
Architect	Chrystian Piotr Aigner (1788)

St. Anne's Church (Polish: Kościół św. Anny) is a church in the historic center of Warsaw, Poland, adjacent to the Castle Square, at Krakowskie Przedmieście 68. It is one of Poland's most notable churches with a Neoclassical facade. The church ranks among Warsaw's oldest buildings. Over time, it has seen many reconstructions, resulting in its present-day appearance, unchanged since 1788. Currently it is the main church parish of the academic community in Warsaw.

In 1454 Duchess of Masovia Anna Fiodorowna (in some old books mistakenly called Holszanska), from Ruthenized Lithuanian princely house, founded this church with a cloister for the Franciscan friars (Order of Friars Minor).

The square in front of the church was a place of solemn homages to Polish monarchs by the rulers of Prussia (the first one in 1578, the last one in 1621). In 1582 a slender tower was added to the church. Some time later it was encompassed with a rampart and incorporated into the city fortifications.

The St. Anne's Church was reconstructed several times in 1603, 1634, 1636 and in 1667 (it was heavily damaged during the siege of Warsaw and plundered by Swedish and German troops in the 1650s). Between 1740 and 1760 the façade was reconstructed in rococo style according to Jakub Fontana's design and decorated with two filigree belfries. The walls and semicircular vault ceilings of the church, divided into bays, were decorated at that time with profuse paintings in perspective, using illusionary techniques and depicting scenes in the life of Saint Anne. A chapel of Saint Ładysław was also decorated in this fashion. All paintings were by Friar Walenty Żebrowski.