The Benedictine Monastery in Mogilno is an 11th century

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

Mogilno Mogilno (; ) is a town in central Poland, seat of the Mogilno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. History Mogilno is one of the oldest settlements along the border of the Greater Poland and Kuyavia historical regions. Since the turn o ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It is the second oldest Benedictine monastery in Poland, after the monastery in Tyniec. It is on the register of monuments in Poland. The complex features the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of St. John.

History

The monastery was founded around 1050 by Casimir the Restorer who intended the Mogilno and Tyniec monasteries to support the rebuilding of Polish religious society after several years of chaos. Early financial support for the monastery came from a variety of sources, including

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s from

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

s and donations from members of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

. By the 12th century, after a frenzy of monastery foundations, the Benedictines began to lose prominence in Poland. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the monastery buildings and church received their last notable renovations. The monastery was then closed in the 19th century. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

used the monastery as a jail and depot for prisoners.

Architecture

The complex features

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and Romanesque elements, a quadrangle, and

vaulted In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

s.Turp, C. (2013). ''DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Poland''. United Kingdom: DK Publishing. p. 224. . File:Mogilno krypta zach 2014 08 17 005.jpg, Crypt File:Mogilno kosciol sw Jana od pd.jpg, Interior quadrangle File:Mogilno klasztor zima 01.jpg, Baroque facade

References

{{reflist Benedictine monasteries in Poland Christian monasteries established in the 11th century Mogilno Religious buildings and structures in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship 11th-century establishments in Poland Objects of cultural heritage in Poland

History

Architecture

See also

References