History

Franciscans were brought to Nysa already in the 13th century. Their monastery was erected on Bracka Street. However, in 1810, the order was secularised, and the monks removed from the town. In 1895, the provincial superior was given consent to re-establish the monastery, however for German monks only. In 1900, Franciscans were given a plot of land on the then St Roch Street, and on 12 August 1902, the cornerstone for a new church was laid. Along with the church, the whole complex was successively built: the monastery, the college, and utility buildings. The design was prepared by Franciscan Mansuetus Fromma (designer of the monasteries in Wrocław-Karłowice and Katowice-Panewniki, among others). On 25 June 1911, the church was dedicated to St Elizabeth of Hungary and the Franciscan college was rendered for use. In 1925, a parish was established.

In 1952, part of buildings were earmarked for a Youth Education and Development Centre.

Description

The monastery complex was built in the north-eastern part of the city, directly by the Nysa Kłodzka river, at the intersection of Franciszkańska Street and Wojska Polskiego Avenue. From the south and the west, it is circumscribed by a brick fencing with wooden posts and metal spans, with wicket gates from the south (on the axis of the church, on the axis of the monastery, and a gate to other buildings). From the northern and eastern side, the complex is enclosed with solid walls.

The monastery complex was built on a floor plan resembling a rectangle, with two quadrangular, internal yards. The individual buildings of the complex are made of brick, baked and shaped especially for the purposes of this investment. Their façades are made of brick and rest on a high plinth laid with stone. They were erected in a neo-Romanesque style with neo-Gothic elements.

The three-nave basilica church of St Elizabeth of Hungary, located in the south-western part of the complex, forms its dominant architectural feature. It was erected on a rectangular floor plan, with a transept and an elongated chancel (typical of monastery churches) terminating in a polygon, and two quadrangular towers from the south, with side semi-circular apses. The front façade of the church is three-axial and has porches on each of the axes. It is decorated with stone and brick architectural detail.

From the east, the church is adjoined by the monastery building. The monastery building was erected on an elongated rectangular floor plan, with the longer side from the south. It is a three-storey structure with an attic. The entrance is located in the eastern, slightly projecting part of the building.

From the north, a two-wing building of the former college with a three-axial eastern avant-corps was built. It has three storeys and its uppermost storey is extended upwards in the avant-corps section.

Further along the eastern line of the buildings, there is a two-storey building of a former bakery. It was erected on a rectangular floor plan and is covered with a gable roof. Slightly to the east, parallel to the bakery building, there is a single-storey free-standing facility of the former gym (transformed into workshops after the war).

The eastern line of buildings ends with a two-storey building of the former carpentry shop). The other utility buildings include a former smithy built perpendicularly to the carpentry shop, and a free-standing little greenhouse built to the north of it.

Limited access to the monument. Part of the buildings due to their function can only be viewed from the outside.

compiled by Aleksandra Ziółkowska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Opole, 09-12-2015.

Bibliography

• Karta ewidencyjna zabytku architektury - Zespół klasztorny o.o. Franciszkanów, oprac. E. Próchnicka, 1998, Arch. WUOZ w Opolu.