Bernardine Monastery Complex
Monastery in Radom, Poland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bernardine Monastery Complex (Polish: zespół klasztorny Bernardynów) is a Cistercian monastery in Radom, Poland. It is listed as a Historic Monument of Poland.[2] Founded by King Casimir Jagiellon, the monastery has attracted the support of townspeople and nobility for centuries.[2]
zespół klasztorny Bernardynów | |
| |
  Location within Poland | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Cistercians |
| Established | 15th century |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic |
| Site | |
| Location | Radom |
| Country | Poland |
| Designated | 2022-03-22 |
| Reference no. | Dz. U. z 2022 r. poz. 632[1] |
History
In 1467, after exchanges between King Casimir Jagiellon and Pope Paul II, Bishop Jan Rzeszowski was directed to establish a monastery. Monks came to Radom in 1468.[3]
The position of the monastery originally sat next to Lublin Gate, a component of the Radom city walls. The king provided land, and other support came from a general collection.[3]
In 1602, the chancel was reconstructed.[3]
In January 1698, King Augustus II the Strong stayed at the monastery after his coronation.[3]
After the 1815 Congress of Vienna, Radom fell to the Russian Empire. In 1863, the monastery was turned into a prison. In 1864, a tsarist ukase ordered the closure of all monasteries in Poland.[4][5] This action was due to perceptions that the Polish clergy had participated in the January Uprising, with the ukase itself even accusing the clergy of promoting bloodshed.[4][5] The Bernardine monks from Radom were deported to Paradyż.[4]
By 1911, the Radom monastery was being used as barracks.[6] Monks returned to the Radom monastery in the 1930s.[2]
In 1942, during German occupation, two Radom monks were sent by a German court to Auschwitz concentration camp.[7]
Architecture
The complex features the gothic church of St. Catherine of Alexandria and the neighboring monastery. The buttressed[8] church has a single nave with two adjacent chapels. The chapel of St. Anne features a late-Renaissance gable. The chapel of St. Agnes features neo-gothic gables.[2] The church and outbuildings form a small quadrangle.[8]