Franciscan Monastery Complex in Wodzisław Śląski

The Franciscan monastery complex on Minorytów Street in Wodzisław Śląski consists of a 14th-century Gothic church and a 17th-century Baroque monastery building. It stands not far from the north-western part of the Market Square. The complex is among the most valuable sites of this type in the Silesian Voivodeship.

A friary from 1257

The friary of the Franciscans (Minorites) was founded in 1257, together with the town's charter. Sources mention it also in 1340. The first buildings may have been wooden, and after the great fire of the town around 1280-1290 they may have been replaced with masonry ones. The monastery was dissolved in 1810 and its buildings were taken over by the town. The church was damaged in the town fire of 1822, and in 1830 it was sold to the Evangelical parish.

The church and the monastery

The Gothic Church of the Holy Trinity has a single nave, with a three-bay chancel closed by the sides of an octagon. It was built of rubble stone and brick, and the corners were supported by diagonal buttresses. The chancel had a rib vault. The first major rebuilding was probably carried out in the 18th century, after a fire. The Baroque monastery building was erected next to the church, around a spacious courtyard.

During the Second World War the church was almost completely destroyed, and reconstruction lasted from 1953 to 1963. In 2008-2011 it underwent a thorough modernisation. In 2010 a historic pulpit and a wooden Neo-Gothic altar from the 19th century, with a painting of “The Ascension of the Lord” by August Bertelmann, were brought to it from the Evangelical church in Stawiszyn near Kalisz.

Today

The church belongs to the Evangelical-Augsburg parish in Wodzisław Śląski, and the second, former monastery building houses a district court, so this building can only be viewed from the outside. About 200 metres away stands the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Minorytów 6A, Wodzisław Śląski.
• The rules for entering the church are set by the Evangelical-Augsburg parish; it is worth checking them before a visit.
• The former monastery building is a working court and is not open to visitors.