It is one of the first charity institutions run by the Church in the region.

History

The church and the Holy Spirit hospital for the poor were founded by Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki in 1448. In 1754, in the place of the old hospital building, a new one was erected, founded by Bishop Andrzej Stanisław Załuski. After 1788, the structures were taken over by Austrians. In the period of the Second Polish Republic, the building by the church still served as a shelter. It was not destroyed during World War II. After 1945, it hosted a boarding school for secondary school students. In 1970, the building was handed over and began to serve as a museum facility, which since 1976 has been called the Regional Museum.

Description

The building of the former hospital is situated in the south-eastern part of Iłża. It is located at the foot of the castle hill, right next to the Holy Spirit church.

The single-storey building, made of brick and covered with plaster, has a rectangular floor plan. The house has a four-sloped roof covered with wood shingles. The front western façade has five axes and an entrance in the middle. By the door, there is an erection plaque made of black marble, depicting the coat of arms of the founder, Bishop Andrzej Stanisław Załuski (Junosz).

The interior has a two-bay layout, with central hallway. A chimney part is a surviving element of the original medieval building.

The building hosts exhibitions, concerning among other things the history of the Iłża Land and the local pottery tradition.

The structure is open to the public from the outside; inside it can be viewed with a valid museum ticket.

compield by Bartłomiej Modrzewski, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Warszawa, 24-11-2015.

Bibliography

• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, t. III: Województwo kieleckie,
• J. Z. Łoziński, B. Wolff (eds.) z. 2. Iłża District, inwent. O. Puciata, Z. Świechowski, Warsaw, 1957.
• Regional Museum in Iłża, http://muzeumilza.pl/index.php?NR=2, (access date: 24-11-2015
• J. Studziński, The building of the former hospital, currently the Regional Museum (record sheet), 1990.