The article presents the biography and activities of Father Władysław Górzyński, born in 1856 in Kalisz. After graduating from high school in his hometown, he studied at the Theological Seminary in Włocławek, where he was ordained a priest in 1880. He served as a parish priest in several towns, and in 1905, at his own request, he resigned from his pastoral duties to begin studies in art history in Kraków and Graz. After returning to pastoral work, he was given a parish in Raciążek, where he was responsible for protecting the ruins of the castle, preparing a monograph and handing them over to the Society for the Protection of Monuments of the Past. In 1918 he became a cathedral canon and died in 1920. Władysław Górzyński actively participated in the establishment of the Artistic and Construction Committee at the curia of the Kujawsko-Kaliska diocese, also engaging in work on the protection of the Diocesan Museum in Włocławek. He was a pioneer in lecturing on the history of Christian art at the local Theological Seminary. The author emphasizes that Górzyński was not the only clergyman interested in art at that time, but he stood out for his modern approach to religious art and promotion of new architectural forms. He also mentions other distinguished people in the field, such as Fr. Antoni Brykczyński, Fr. Gerard Wojciech Kowalski, Fr. Jan Wiśniewski or Fr. Aleksander Bastrzykowski. The article ends with a return to the main topic, i.e. the lecture that Fr. Górzyński gave in 1911 in Krakow. At that time, he sharply criticized neo-Gothicism and generally the entire historicism in sacred architecture. This attack also included the symbolism of church art, especially those elements that have lost their meaning in contemporary reception. The author draws attention to the fact that we now look at this criticism with hindsight, but at that time it was groundbreaking and significant for changes in the approach to sacred art.