Wachock Abbey

The monastery in Wąchock was built at the turn of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It is one of the most beautiful examples of Romanesque architecture in Poland. The founder of the abbey was in 1179 the Bishop of Krakow Gedeon (Gedko). The builder of the abbey was Simon, of Italian origin.

The monastery was destroyed twice by Tatar invasions. Thanks to the strength of will and hard work, the nun slowly brought him back to its former glory.

Thanks to the efforts of the Cistercians, Wąchock received city rights under Magdeburg Law in 1454. The local Cistercians played a large role in the economic field. The monks dealt with breeding, milling, weaving, as well as mining and metallurgy. The Wąchock Abbey received the privilege to search for ores in the principals of Kraków and Sandomierz. Thanks to this, own steel mills were built, which gave rise to the Old Polish metallurgical basin.

In 1656, the monastery was invaded by the army of the Prince of Transylvania, Jerzy Rakoczy, devastated the city and the surrounding area, and the monastery deprived the rich archive, treasury and valuable monuments. The fall of the Cistercian order in Wąchock took place as a result of cassation in 1818 by the tsarist authorities.

It was not until 1951 that the Cistercian monastery in Wąchock was revived. Thanks to the convent and with the help of the state, this valuable historic complex was restored. The abbey continues to serve the Order and the Church in this beautiful corner of the Świętokrzyskie region with its prayer and work.

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