Nowa Huta was built as a town without a church, and for close to twenty years its residents pressed for permission to build one. The campaign involved long disputes with the authorities and clashes around a cross erected on the designated site in 1960.
The church was finally built between 1967 and 1977 to a design by Wojciech Pietrzyk. Its form suggests a ship, which gives it its name. Much of the work was done by volunteers, and several million pebbles gathered from Polish rivers were set into the facade by parishioners.
Inside stands a figure of the risen Christ, and the tabernacle holds a stone from St Peter’s Basilica given by the pope. The church was consecrated by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, who had supported the effort throughout.