Borromeo Sisters' Convent Complex in Cieszyn

The Borromeo Sisters' convent complex stands on the Upper Market Square (Górny Rynek) in Cieszyn, in two tenement houses which the sisters converted into a convent, a school and a hospital. The buildings are entered in the heritage register.

From the sisters' arrival to the closing of the school

The Superior General of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of St Charles Borromeo, Sister Helena Tichy, obtained permission for the sisters to settle in Cieszyn on 10 January 1876 from the president of Austrian Silesia. The sisters arrived at the Upper Market Square in April of that year. In 1877-1878 the Chapel of the Holy Family was built, blessed on 5 May 1878. Between 1879 and 1889 the convent was the seat of the generalate and novitiate. The sisters ran a primary and a middle school and a teacher training college for girls, with German as the language of instruction. The schools were closed in 1955 as a result of actions by the communist authorities. The convent was visited on 18 October 1880 by Emperor Franz Joseph I.

Architecture

The complex consists of tenement houses at Górny Rynek 6 and 8, built in the 18th century and rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century. The main buildings are Neoclassical, the chapel Neo-Romanesque, all of brick. Above the entrance is a relief of Our Lady with the Child and angels, and in the courtyard stands a historic 19th-century Monument of the Saviour. The complex was entered in the heritage register in 1960 under number 248/60.

What goes on here today

The complex houses a convent, an infirmary, a boarding house for girls and a nursing and care facility, which was set up in 1989, and since 2014 also a care home. Among the institutions of the complex there is also a museum. In the immediate neighbourhood lies Cieszyn Town Hall, and not far away stands the Jesus Church.

Practical information

• Address: Górny Rynek 6 and 8, Cieszyn.
• This is an active convent and care facility, so the interiors are not open to the public without arrangement. It is worth checking the rules for visits with the sisters before you go.
• The complex is viewed from the outside during a walk around Cieszyn's market square.