the end of 1933, the walls of the rotunda were erected, in 1935 the reinforced concrete dome was set. At the end of 1938, the church was roughly finished. The outbreak of WWII required a swift completion of the dome covered with a roof, with an internal staircase connecting the Assembly House with the church. On 16 September 1939 the church was closed by German army and the missionary aisle taken over to be used as a warehouse by German troops and police. The building was desecrated, its equipment stolen. During their withdrawal from the city, retreating German forces set fire to the edifice on 19 January 1945, which lasted three days. The incoming Soviet troops fired artillery shells at the church, severely damaging the dome and causing another fire on the residential part of the attic. On 15 March 1945 first new missionaries arrived from Kraków, rubble was removed and the church re-opened for worship. On 27 May the edifice hosted regular worship. Then began the long process of reconstruction: in 1949, the chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa was rebuilt, on a design by Jan Kossowski; in the 1950s, interior walls of the church were plastered and altars re-installed; After declining a series of projects, Polish authorities authorised in 1966 the construction of the outer dome started. From 1967 on, works on the reconstruction of the church have been led by architect Wiktor Zin. According to Zin's draft, marble pilasters with Corinthian capitals were placed inside, a choir built and reflective mirrored mosaic installed. Wiktor Zin also designed mosaics on the ceilings, sanctuary decor, rosettes in the coffers of the dome and stained glass windows. The consecration ceremony took place on 22 May 1980 in a mass celebrated by Primate of the Millennium Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, with the participation Father Tadeusz Gocłowski, representing the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Vincent de Paul. 1996 was the year of the completion of "The Doors of the Beatitudes" on the main frontage, designed by Michał Kubiak. In the following years, further additions have been carried out: a marble floor was laid across, the exterior walls were plastered using originally designed stucco details. On 7 October 1997 Pope John Paul II elevated the church to the rank of Minor basilica during a mass held in Gniezno. On 27 September 2000 jubilee celebrations took place in the basilica to celebrate the 350th