History

The construction of the Church of St Francis and the monastery is intertwined with the arrival of the Franciscan friars to Głogówek in 1264. They accepted the invitation of Władysław I, the duke of Opole. As opposed to other orders operating in that time, the Franciscans only sought temporary shelter and the promise of a plot of land to build a monastery on. After arrival, they got involved in the building of the church and the monastery.

The monastery was erected relatively fast and gained in importance - this is corroborated by two Franciscan chapters held in Głogówek in 1285 and 1355.

During the Hussite War and the Polish-Swedish Wars the monastery was destroyed, and during the Reformation and secularization, the monks were displaced and the monastery buildings were sold. They returned to Głogówek in 1945 and occupied one of the monastery wings. The monastery in Głogówek was officially re-established in 1963 and the friars were returned the reminder of the complex.

Description

The Franciscan monastery was built within the old town limits in its north-west corner, between the Church of St Francis and the Oppersdorff’s castle.

The existing Baroque building consists of four wings enclosing a trapezoidal courtyard. The east wing is shorter. In the opening between the east wing and the south wind, there is a wall with a wicket gate and an arched gate. Above the wicket gate, there is an arched niche with a statuette of St Francis. In the north-west corner of the complex, there is an outbuilding originally linking the castle with the monastery. It is now occupied by an astronomical observatory.

The building is built of brick and plastered (the plaster on the ground floor wall is smooth and on the upper levels is of varying texture). The east, south and west wings (with an attic) are two-storey structures, while the north wing has three levels and a loft. The individual axes of the façade are articulated with rectangular window openings in surrounds with decorative side sections and keystones. On one of the axes of the west wing façade, there is a portico resting on four columns, with a wavy pediment, and on the north wing façade, at the level of the second storey, there is a sundial.

Inside, there is a two-bay layout with a narrower corridor bay and wider bay incorporating the living and utility chambers, mostly covered with a double-barrel vaults. Some of the chambers still feature stuccowork in the form of geometric framework or simplified floral decoration. Also some of the 18th- and 19th-century monastery equipment has been preserved, including the paintings: the Death of St Joseph, the pregnant Virgin Mary, the Entombment and some sculptures of angels.

The site can be viewed from outside; access to the interior is limited due to the rules of enclosure.

Compiled by Aleksandra Ziółkowska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Opole, 15-04-2015 r.

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, t. VII: Województwo opolskie, z. 12: Powiat prudnicki, red. T. Chrzanowski, M. Kornecki, Warszawa 1960, s. 25.
• Karta ewidencyjna zabytku architektury- klasztor o.o Franciszkanów w Głogówku, oprac. W. Żurakowski, Arch. WUOZ w Opolu, 2003.
• 750 lat historii. Franciszkanie w Głogówku 1264-2014, o. P. Bielenin, o. J. Goryl, Wrocław 2014.
• Kronika Klasztoru oo. Franciszkanów w Głogówku 1945-1975, oprac. OFMConv Z. Gogola, Głogówek 2014.