The former Monastery of the Order of St. Paul the First Hermit in Pińczów

The history of the Pińczów monastery is full of unexpected twists that reflect the turbulent history of this peaceful town today.

The Paulines were brought to Pińczów and richly endowed by an extraordinary duo - brothers Zbigniew and Jan Oleśnicki, who decided to make Pińczów a seat worthy of their name. But already a hundred years later, in 1550, a descendant of the Oleśnicki family, Mikołaj, expelled the monks and transformed the church into a Calvinist church. Then he got rid of the furnishings of the church. Although the case outraged the public opinion of the 16th century Poland, even the bishop's court was unable to influence Mikołaj Oleśnicki's decisions.

After his death, the Oleśnickis sold Pińczów, which went into the hands of the Bishop of Kraków, Piotr Myszkowski. Then the Pauline monks returned to the walls of the Pińczów monastery, from where, after 200 years, they were thrown out by the then owner of Pińczów - Franciszek Wielopolski. Although the Pauline monks returned to Pińczów in 1800, the dissolution of the monastery took place already in 1819.

Currently, the walls of the former monastery house a multithreaded exhibition of the Regional Museum. The current church dates from the 17th century, but in the western porch you will also find the remains of the first foundation of the Oleśnicki family. There is an impressive belfry next to the church, which used to serve as a gate to the cemetery organized around the church. The interior of the temple is decorated with captivating stucco decorations, especially beautiful on the vaults in the aisles. The church has baroque furnishings. The stalls, i.e. benches for the clergy, placed on the sides of the presbytery, look interesting. Here they are exceptionally richly decorated.