Ruins of the Castle in Bodzentyn

The castle in Bodzentyn was founded on the initiative of the bishops of Krakow in the second half of the 14th century. In the past, it aroused admiration and was a symbol of the splendor of Bodzentyn.

Middle Ages - Gothic art

According to historians, the greatest contribution to the creation of the building was made by the bishop of Krakow, Florian of Mokrsko, Jelita coat of arms, it was thanks to him that the first buildings were started, which eventually turned into a Gothic-style castle. This process went on in stages. There are two important events in the history of the castle. The first one was the stay of King Władysław Jagiełło on June 19, 1410, who was then on a pilgrimage to the Holy Cross with the intention of defeating the Teutonic Order in the battle of Grunwald that awaited him, and the second one concerned the reception of the embassy of the Pomeranian dukes.

In 1413, a fire broke out in the town, which also damaged the castle. The town itself and the castle were rebuilt very quickly, which could be due to the close location on one of the nearby trade routes and the patronage of Bishop Wojciech Jastrzębiec, who of course did not do it selflessly, because he gained a lot. Monopoly for trade in salt, meat and alcoholic beverages in the area. In addition, he had the right to organize up to two fairs a week. The inhabitants of Bodzentyn at that time were very wealthy, which resulted in large investments, such as the construction of a second market, the creation of a water supply system and the construction of the first municipal bathhouse. The castle was expanded over time, e.g. by Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki and Cardinal Fryderyk Jagiellończyk. It is to them that the extension of the northern wing and the construction of the residential part with turrets in which the latrine was located, were built on the eastern side.

Modernity - Renaissance art

The reconstruction of the castle was initiated in 1572 by the bishop of Kraków, Franciszek Krasiński, which was completed by the bishop of Płock and Kraków, Piotr Myszkowski. The modification was aimed at changing the style to a more contemporary style, i.e. the Renaissance style. As a result, the castle gained more palatial features, losing the defensive ones. The walls surrounding the castle were demolished. The creator of the new concept of the facility was the Italian architect Jan Balcer. The last corrections in the Renaissance style were made by bishop Piotr Tylicki, thanks to whom the gatehouse and the southern wing were built.

Modernity - Baroque art

 In the years 1657-71, the palace complex gained a characteristic horseshoe shape and was adapted to the Baroque style. The castle began to lose its position as a representative seat of the church authorities due to the palace built after 1637 on the cathedral hill in Kielce by the bishop of Krakow, Jan Zadzik. Final modernizations in terms of the spatial arrangement were made in the second half of the 18th century thanks to the idea of Kajetan Ignacy Sołtyk, who styled himself as the prince of Siewierski, and the bishop of Kiev. The function of the architect was performed by the recognized and reputable court official of Polish kings, Jakub Fontana.

Epoch of the 19th century - the decline of the splendor of the castle

By the decision of the Four-Year Sejm, all goods and estates of the bishops of Kraków and the castle in Bodzentyn became the property of the state treasury. After 1795, when the Third Partition of Poland took place, these areas were taken over by the Austrian authorities. The castle they used was used mainly for economic purposes, and during the Napoleonic Wars, it served as a military hospital. In 1815 it was abandoned as a result of which it quickly fell into ruin. In the following years, an attempt was made to adapt the building to serve as the seat of the municipal authorities or a porcelain factory, unfortunately, these actions did not bring the expected result. The record from 1820, which has been preserved in the archives, briefly describes the condition of the building: "The bishop's castle has three floors, the huge building is in ruins." According to town chronicles, balls were organized in some castle chambers in the mid-nineteenth century. They were organized by the inhabitants. The plundering activity of the local population in order to obtain cheap building material resulted in the total withdrawal of the castle from use. Colloquially fell into ruin. The building came under protection in 1902, when it was also recognized as a monument. In 1911, the monument was placed under the protection of the Archaeological Commission in St. Petersburg. After Poland regained independence, it was supervised by the Polish government.