The core component of the complex is the church, whose present form dates to 1744-1749. The temple from the third quarter of the 17th century was remodelled then and construction works were performed under the direction of Franciszek Antoni Mayer, architect. The décor and furnishings from mid-18th century enhance the architectural value of the temple. They include a Baroque polychrome painted by Antoni Dembicki (Dębicki) and a set of altars carved by the Hoffmanns – outstanding woodcarvers from Puławy renowned for their skills in the entire Lublin region, as well as the paintings created by Szymon Czechowicz in the altars. 

History

The parish may have existed as early as the second half of the 12th century. It is first mentioned in historical records in 1326-1327. In 1557, the first wooden church was converted into a non-Catholic one by the then owner of the estate, Stanisław Słupecki. Before 1615, the church was returned to the Catholic community and enlarged, with a brick chapel having been added in the northern part of the church (mausoleum of the Słupecki family). The present-day brick church was probably erected in 1663-1675 thanks to the efforts of priests Piotr Dobielowicz and Stanisław Dobielowicz. Built as a single-nave and two-tower temple, the church follows the floor plan of a Latin cross. The church was subsequently entrusted to the Piarists, brought to Opole in 1743 by Jan Tarła, the voivode of Sandomierz. Between 1744 and 1749, the church was remodelled and enlarged: the additions included the Calvary passage around the nave and the sacristy next to the chancel.

Furthermore, the towers were remodelled and the northern chapel of the Holy Cross was transformed into the mausoleum of the Tarła family. The construction of the monastery and other buildings of the Piarist college, outbuildings and other facilities started in 1740. The gate-belfry was erected before 1751. The works were performed under the direction of Franciszek Antoni Mayer, architect. Until around 1761, works in the church were continued due to the efforts of Zofia Tarłowa née Krasińska: between 1751 and 1753, the interior was covered with a polychrome painted by Antoni Dembicki (Dębicki); between 1756 and 1757, the south chapel was remodelled to resemble the northern chapel. In addition, the Hoffmans’ woodcarving workshop from Puławy produced a complete set of altars and other furnishings.

After 1766, the Piarists opened a craft school and in 1799 a gymnasium. After the third partition of Poland, Opole (which fell under Austrian rule) became one of the main Piarist centres. After the dissolution of the monastery in 1864, the college was taken over by the state treasury. Currently, the former Piarist buildings are used by various institutions. The western wing of the former monastery is now used as a clergy house.

The church has undergone numerous repairs and restorations, including those in 1798, 1805, 1854, 1880 and 1891. In the 1980s, the original clear windows were fitted with stained glass produced by the Warsaw company of Michał Olszewski. After the war, the church was renovated in 1958-1960 and 1978-1983. The last comprehensive renovation was awarded with a “Conservation Laurel” in 2016.

Description

The Piarist monastery complex with the church is situated in the centre of the town, between two markets.

It is an early Baroque church with late Baroque additions. Oriented. The temple has a varied floor plan and shape. It comprises a single-nave, a four-bay main body with four-sided, three-storey towers jutting out from the western corners and a narrower and lower, three-bay chancel, terminated semi-hexagonally. On both sides of the western part of the chancel, there are two chapels equal in height to the main body. On the sides of the eastern part of the chancel, there are lower, two-storey sacristies. The nave is surrounded by a single-storey semi-circular walkway (ambulatory), with towers and a church porch embedded in it. There are crypts under the entire church. The walls of the church are made of bricks and stones and covered with plaster. Individual parts of the church have separate roofs, which differ with their form. Over the chapels, there are four-span domes with false lanterns, whereas the towers have late Baroque cupolas.

The roofs are covered with metal sheet. The façade is two-tower, three-axial, two-storey, with a slightly recessed middle part and a gable top surmounted by volutes. It is divided by recesses and panels filled with carvings and reliefs. The storeys are separated by an entablature with a massive cornice, which continues along the side elevations of the nave. The lower part of the façade and of the side elevations are hidden by the semi-circular walkway (ambulatory). The corners of the towers are surmounted by composite pilasters. The side elevations of the nave are divided by pairs of similar pilasters. Between these pilasters, there are window openings with semi-circular surrounds. The elevations of the remaining parts of the temple are divided by Tuscan pilasters. On the walls of the ambulatory, there are shallow niches with semi-circular windows. The corners of the chapels are furnished with pilasters on high plinths, which support the semi-circularly curved cornices. The elevations of the northern chapel are richly decorated with elaborate, Rococo window surrounds and cartouches with the coats of arms of the owners of the estate. In the lower part, there is the epitaph of Elżbieta Tarłowa née Branicki (third wife of Jan Tarła). On the eastern wall of the chancel, there is a sundial (18th century). Inside, the nave and the chancel are covered with barrel vaults with lunettes. In the chapels, there are dome-shaped vaults with lunettes, in the sacristies – monastery vaults, and in the ambulatory – double barrel vaults on buttresses. The chapels open onto the chancel with arcades.

The arch of the chancel opening is semi-circular. The walls of the nave are divided by pairs of false pilasters which support the entablature. Between the pilasters, there are arcaded altar niches. The interior is covered with a late Baroque polychrome from around the middle of the 18th century, with a rich iconographic programme, with figural scenes against the background of illusionist architecture. The late Baroque furnishings (altars, pulpit, baptismal font, pews, etc.) are stylistically uniform and harmonise with the architecture of the church. There are also religious paintings in the altars and a portrait of Jan Tarła, painted by an outstanding painter of the Baroque period, Szymon Czechowicz.

The church cemetery is surrounded by a brick fence (17th century). In the north-western corner of the fence, there is the former morgue (formerly known as the bell tower, from around the middle of the 17th century). In the northern part of the fence, there is a three-storey belfry-gate (18th century), erected on a square floor plan, with subsequently added annexes on the sides. Its elevations are characterised by rich architectural articulation, with a stepped gable at the front (19th century). 

The monastery is located to the east from the church. It is erected on a floor plan of a horseshoe, with the open end facing north. The western wing (currently the clergy house) has two storeys and a later added vestibule. It predates the other one-storey wings, erected on a floor plan of an elongated rectangle, with a 1.5-bay interior layout, covered with gable roofs. The elevations of all buildings are smooth and topped with profiled cornices. 

To the north-east of the monastery complex, there are other buildings of the former Piarist complex: at no. 2 Kościuszki Street, there is the former hospital building (later gymnasium) – built on a rectangular floor plan, two-storey, covered with a gable roof, with elevations divided by pilasters in the giant order carrying the weight of the crowning cornice; at no. 4 and 6 Kościuszki Street, there are buildings (now completely remodelled) – the remnants of the so-called “Piarist walls”, which used to accommodate workshops and teachers’ flats.

The heritage site is accessible upon prior arrangement by telephone.

compiled by Bożena Stanek-Lebioda, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Branch Office in Lublin, 13 June 2017

Bibliography

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