History

The monastery complex was built in 1638 by the Wężyk Widawski family. Initially, the church was wooden. In 1656 near Widawa, there was a battle between the Polish and the Swedish army, as a result of which all town (with monastery buildings) was burned down. The existing brick complex, founded by the Walewski family, was built in 1678-1709. In 1895, the complex became property of the parish in Widawa. Since 1978, the monastery building has been housing a parish museum, where books and documents concerning both history of the parish and the famous Academy of Widawa - an institution affiliated with the Jagiellonian University - are presented, along with examples of sacred paintings and artistic craft. The museum is a branch of the Archdiocese Museum in Łódź.

Description

The complex is located in the centre of Widawa. It adjoins T. Kościuszko Square from the east. The church is oriented, and the monastery adjoins it from the south. Both buildings are made of ceramic brick. The church is a one-nave building, with a narrower and lower chancel with a semi-circular end section. From the west, the nave is adjoined by a low porch on a square plan. All sections of the building are covered with gable roofs.

In the interior, there are barrel vault on pendentives.

The front façade of the church is preceded by a small porch with walls flanked by lesenes. In the front part of the porch, there is a niche with a grotto. Entrances to the church are in northern and southern walls. The porch is topped with a gable with volutes.

The wall of the front façade is decorated with lesenes, two window openings of the choir with semi-circular top section, and a gable on which there is a column entwined by a serpent, which is a reference to the coat of arms of the church founders, Wężyk and Walewski families. In the top section of the gable, there is an inscription with date 1678. Other façades are partitioned by lesenes, and have window openings with semi-circular top sections. The church’s interior is Baroque in style. On the walls, there is trompe l'œil wall painting from mid-17th century. The altar is dated to early 18th century. Rococo pews and confessional have survived until today. The oldest item of the fittings is a late-Renaissance baptismal font of 1600.

The monastery building was erected on a nearly square floor plan with an internal cloister yard. It is a two-storey, two-bay building covered with gable roofs. The roof truss is made of wood, and the interior is covered by barrel vaults. There is plain plasterwork on the façades, and window and door openings are rectangular in shape and accentuated by surrounds.

The church can be visited throughout the year. The Museum can be visited upon arrangement with the parish priest.

compiled by Anna Michalska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Łódź, 21.11.2014.

Bibliography

• Ruszkowski A., Sieradz i okolice, Sieradz 2000
• Leszczyński R., Akademia Widawska, Łódź 1991
• Staszewski K., Ilustrowany przewodnik po Pabjanicach, Łasku i powiecie łaski, Pabianice 1929
• Gryglewski P., Vetusta Monumenta, Sztuka Polski Środkowej, Łódź 2002
• Red. Łoziński J., Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, woj. łódzkie , t. II, Warszawa 1954
• Red. H. E. Wyczałkowski , Klasztory bernardyńskie w Polsce, w jej historycznych granicach, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska 1985
• Orlicki S., Widawa. Historia przez wieki pisana, Widawa 2010