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Convent complex of the Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul - Zabytek.pl

Convent complex of the Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul


monastery 2nd quarter of the 13th century Chełmno

Address
Chełmno, Dominikańska 40

Location
woj. kujawsko-pomorskie, pow. chełmiński, gm. Chełmno (gm. miejska)

The former convent complex of Cistercian nuns is one of the most valuable sacred art and architecture sites in the Chełmno Land.

Erected at the turn of the 14th century, it underwent various alterations in the centuries that followed. The convent buildings are situated on the edge of the high bank of the meltwater valley of the Vistula river, which makes this complex exceptionally picturesque.  From the south-east, the dominant features are the impressive neo-Gothic buildings erected at the turn of the 20th century.

The site is located in an area designated as a monument of history: Chełmno – Old Town – recognised as a Monument of History by  way of Ordinance of the President of the Republic of Poland dated 13 April 2005 (Dz. U. [Polish Journal of Laws] No. 64 of 2005, item 568).

History

The convent complex was originally inhabited by the Cistercian nuns brought to Chełmno in 1266 from the nearby village named Czyste. The convent was funded by Bertold of Czyste and his wife Krystyna.     In 1267, upon request of Friedrich von Hausen, bishop of Chełmno, and Country Master Ludwig von Baldersheim, the municipal authorities bestowed four building plots together with the town gate upon the nuns. From the 1483 onwards, the church and the convent were owned by the Benedictine nuns. The period of Reformation brought about the fall of the congregation and the convent became depopulated. The situation changed quickly when Magdalena Mortęska, an exceptional reformer of the conventual life, came to the abandoned convent in 1579. Her accomplishments included the foundation of a girls’ school, which was one of the most progressive in the country at that time. In 1821, the Prussian authorities issued a decree on the dissolution of the convent. The buildings and part of the land were handed over to the Daughters of Charity, with a hospital and an elementary school for girls established on the premises.  In the years 1897-1898, the south wing of the convent – House of St Joseph – was erected; in 1905, a modern surgical ward – House of St Vincent – was built; in 1914, an infectious diseases ward, i.e. the so-called garden house, was erected. At present, the convent buildings serve as a Social Welfare Home.

The conventual church of Sts John the Evangelist and John the Baptist was likely erected from c. 1290 until c. 1330 in three stages: the first one (late 13th century) included the construction of peripheral walls, the second one (c. 1310-1320) saw the construction of ceilings of the lower church, and the third one (c. 1330) covered the construction of ceilings in the upper church and of the western gablets at the tower.  In the late 16th century and the early 17th century, during the times of abbess Magdalena Mortęska, the site was altered to a considerable extent, e.g. a chapel of St Mary Magdalene was built by the chancel, with a chapel of St Benedict, together with a crypt, added on the west side of that chapel in 1603, and the top storey of the tower was extended upwards at the same time. In 1895, a restoration of the church was performed; in 1905, the altarpieces were renovated; in the 1990s, the main altarpiece underwent conservation works.

From the west, the convent is adjoined by the former main monastery wing (remnant of the unfinished seat of the Teutonic Order) constructed between the third quarter of the 13th century and the early 14th century and thoroughly rebuilt at the turn of the 17th century and in the 19th century. Adjacent to the south-western corner of this wing, there is the so-called Tower of Mestwin, likely built in the second quarter of the 13th century. The two short wings flanking the courtyard before the south façade of the church were erected in the second half of the 13th century and underwent a comprehensive redesign in the fourth quarter of the 19th century.

Description

The complex is situated in the north-western corner of the Chełmno Old Town, by the steep slope towards the north and the west, and is merged with the defensive walls. The Gothic aisleless church on an elongated rectangular floor plan with a chancel which terminates with five sides of an octagon from the east, as well as a square tower which is embedded in the body west. It is buttressed on the outside, with one of the buttresses from the north replaced by a staircase tower. In the three western bays, the inter has two storeys. The bottom storey has the form of a two-aisle, three-bay hall while the top storey is aisleless and houses a choir gallery. From the north, the chancel is adjoined by the chapel of St Mary Magdalene (c. 16th century) with a rectangular storage section from the west and three two-storey annexes from the south.

The church is made of brick laid in the monk bond and has a field stone foundation in the eastern part. The interior features four bays with stellar vaults, with the ribs arranged in a radial layout above the end section of the chancel (c. 1330). The lower part of the body features a ribbed groin vault while the basements feature barrel vaults.

The west façade is obscured by the north wing of the convent, with the tower slightly protruding from the façade, and is topped with stepped gablets with pinnacles and wimpergs. The south façade features a stone Mannerist portal made in 1619 by representatives of the Gdańsk workshops.

Inside, the church is adorned with Gothic painted decorations from c. 1350 in the form of a narrow monochrome frieze under the windows as well as fixtures and fittings with lavish carved and painted decorations from the 16th/17th century and from the early 18th century, which include the Mannerist choir stalls (1597), pulpit (c. 14th century) and pipe organ casing (1613-1619) with paintings by Jan Krüger. One notable feature is the Baroque gilt main altarpiece from the 17th/18th century, with a painting of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as a pietà adored by angels from the second quarter of the 17th century, created by Bartholomeus Strobel or his disciples; in addition, there are the portraits of Archbishop Stanisław Karnkowski from 1574, Bishop Piotr Kostka from c. 1616 and Abbess Magdalena Mortęska from 1632. Particularly valuable features include the medieval tombstone of Arnold Lischoren from c. 1275.

The building is open to visitors all year round and can be viewed upon prior telephone appointment.

Prepared by Marzenna Stocka, National Heritage Board of Poland, Regional Branch in Toruń 26-09-2017

Bibliography

  • Chrzanowski T., Kornecki M., Chełmno, 1991, pp. 140-172
  • Diecezja toruńska. Historia i teraźniejszość, Stanisław Kardasz (ed.), Vol. 4, Dekanat chełmiński, Toruń 1996, pp. 83-102
  • Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, Vol. XI: Województwo bydgoskie, issue 4: Powiat chełmiński, Tadeusz Chrzanowski and Marian Kornecki (eds.), Warszawa 1976, pp. 34-50
  • Jerzy Z. Łoziński, Pomniki sztuki w Polsce, Vol. II, part I, Pomorze, Warszawa 1990, pp. 362-363
  • www.wnmptorun.diecezja.torun.pl

Category: monastery

Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records

Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_04_ZE.38297, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_04_ZE.18940