History of the abbey

The cloister in Lubiąż was founded in 1175 as Prince Bolesław Wysoki's initiative who brought the Grey monks from Pforta upon Saal in order to strengthen ideology and political position of the Church on his lands and to help the founder. The Cistercians came to Lubiąż in 1163 or as other sources state in 1150 and took place of the Benedictines who were there from 1150.
The initial endowment constituted of grants: Lubiąż with St. John's church, income from markets, taverns, mills, crossings on Odra River, rights to fish, granges, and tithes.
All the villages belonging to the Cistercians were on the fertile soils with natural resources.
At the beginning of the 13th century the Cistercians from Lubiąż had 6 parish churches: St. Peter's and St. Paul's Church in Wrocław, St.Jacob's and Blessed Virgin Mary's in Lubiąż, St. John's Evangelical in Lubiąż, Blessed Virgin Mary's in Słupie, St. Stphan in Bytom upon Odra, and a chapel in Nabytyn.
In 1201 Bolesław Wysoki died and was buried in the cloistral church in Lubiąż, which from that moment on became a Mausoleum of the Silesian Piasts.
The cloister could not keep all its properties due to the lack of money, unstable political situation in Poland, in Great Poland and the Tatars' Invasion. The Mongolian Invasion and Henryk II Pobożny's defeat in Legnica in 1241 were the next blows for the cloister's economy and many villages burnt down. The situation worsened as a result of repossession actions of the neighbouring feoffors. Despite that, the Cistercians from Lubiąż administered quite a large number of domains as any other cloister in the central-eastern Europe.
In the 40s of the 13th century the cloister was developing colonization which culminated in the middle of the 16th century.
In 1258 Bolesław Rogatka gave them the right to excavate metal within their properties. Apart from that they did gardening, fruit-growing, beekeeping, fishing, and grew grape-vine. They had their own mills, butcher's and bread stalls. They dealt with salt and herrings imported from the Pomerania without duties. As a result of the regional division of Silesia, the cloistral goods could be found in hands of various princes.
In the 15th century when the cloister was in its prime the Hussite Invasions stopped its development. Internal discipline loosened. This situation was overcome by Abbot Andreas Hoffmann (1498-1534) who restored the discipline, paid the debts and restored all the buildings. Due to his service in 1498 he received pontificals from Pope Alexander VI.
The reformation brought depopulation in the cloister. From 1523 Fryderyk II, Prince of Legnica, became the master of Lubiąż and in 1544 he wanted to secularize the foundation. However, the monks opposed efficiently. They did not oppose the change of religion of their subjects.
In 1577 the General Abbot joined Lubiąż to the Czech province of the Order. From that time on Lubiąż's monks resigned from the rules of enclosure and devoted to ministry and administrative service.
The end of the Thirty Years War began the period of numerous successes of the cloister. The following abbots involved in the development of the cloistral complex and increasing the importance of the foundation: Arnold Freiberger, Jan Reich (1672-1691), Dominik Krausenberger (1691-1692), Baltazar Nitsche (1692-1696), Ludwik Bauch (1696-1729), Dominik Suessmuth (1729-1732) and Konstanty Beyer (1733-1747).One of the biggest cloistral constructions was built in Lubiąż .A new library was opened and its book collection systematically grew. The economy also improved.
In 1740 Silesia once again was under the Prussian rule. Fryderyk II put a contribution on the abbey. The situation worsened by the Seven Years War and the Austrian and Prussian army that stationed there. In 1767 the cloister was made to fulfill merkantilistic politics of Fryderyk II which contributed to the number of debts of Lubiąż.
The abbey was secularized on 21 November 1810.
The cloistral buildings performed different functions after 1817, among other things, in 1940-45 there was a weapon factory, and in 1945-1948 the Soviet Army's hospital. In 1972-1974 exhibition halls were opened there, and in 1975-1995/6 the Prince's Room was renovated. From 1989 the Foundation of Lubiąż has been taking care for the object.

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Today of the abbey

CLOISTER

The object was rebuilt for a few times. It is the worst preserved part of the foundation. Since 1989 Fundacja Lubiąż, which also runs renovations works, has been the leaseholder of the whole cloistral complex.

Contact:
Fundacja Lubiąż
pl. Maxa Borna 9
50-204 Wrocław
tel/fax: 0048 71 322 21 29
e-mail:biuro@fundacjalubiaz.org.pl
www.fundacjalubiaz.org.pl

Klasztor Cystersów
pl. Klasztorny 3
56 - 100 Lubiąż
tel. 0048 71 389 71 66
Abbatial Palace is situated in the northern wing. Its most representative room is Prince's Hall- it has some outstanding works of art and it is the most interesting baroque interior in Silesia. It occupies two storeys and fills the whole eastern part of the abbatial building. In the western part of the Hall there is a music grandstand with a bulging balustrade.
Its interior came into being in 1734-1738 and was made by three Silesian artists: sculptor F F.J. Mangoldt, painter K.F.Bentum, and stucco-worker A.Provisore. The guiding principles of decoration are two thematic trains: glorification of Habsburg Dynasty and glorification the triumphant catholic faith
Apart from that there are two things worth attention: a great painting of a plafond by Christian Philipp Bentum from 1737 (300 sq m), a series of 10 oil paintings, statues of emperors glorifying the Habsburg Dynasty (by Franz Joseph Mangoldt) as well as a colourful marbleized walls and architectural detail (by Provisor)
The second representative hall of the palace is Summer Refectory in the Abbatial Palace situated on the ground floor of the western wing. The interior is a work of Michał Willmann from 1692. Its main element is a plafond which together with accompanying medallions constitutes the first frescoes of M. Wilmann.
On the first and the second floor of the object's southern part there are original monks' cells, room for studying and rooms housing cloistral collections. A library is also there- it is on the two upper floors of the southern break. At the same time it is the biggest and most magnificent baroque interior of a Silesian library. At the moment conservation works of the monumental painting of Christian Philipp Bentum from 1738 are taking place. In the southern break there is also Summer Monastic Refectory which interior was made in 1733 by Felix Anton Scheffer. The plafond situated in the central part of the vault presents a Miraculous Feeding of the Five Thousand. In the medallions which surround it there are scenes from the life of St. Bernard and St. Benedict. Pastel interior stands in contrast with dark tones of the painting.

POST-CISTERCIAN CHURCH

Cloistral church of the Assumption stopped functioning as a sacral place at the beginning of the 19th century. It was built in the 13th century in the gothic style, and in 1672-1681 it was rebuilt and as a result its interior and western part of the building changed their style into baroque. Its area is 1703 sq and cubature is 44000 cubic meters.
Loretan Chapel- erected next to the northern arm of the transept about 1710. After the secularization of the cloister it was used as a vestry. It is a copy of Casa Santa in Loreto.
Prince's Chapel-erected in 1311-12 is unfortunately in a pitiful state. Inside, it is possible to see: relics of the former altar, scattered stony elements of the former equipment. Only the polychromy of the vault is legible.

POST-CISTERCIAN OBJECTS

St. Jacob's Church- probably, it is the oldest building in this complex which was rebuilt and reconstructed many times. The present state is from the 90ies of the 17th century. It was a parish church for lay workers of the cloister. Now it is closed and requires redecoration.
Gate Building- built in 1601, currently inhabited. Its northern elevation is richly decorated- it requires renovation works.
Former brewery and bakery - the object was built at the beginning of the 18th century and in the 19th and 20th centuries rebuilt. Now it is closed and requires renovation.
Former cloistral hospital- it is next to the gate building, it is inhabited but it requires renovation.
Corner building-former cloistral office- built at the beginning of the 18th century. Its elevation is decorated with a sundial. It is currently inhabited.
Former house of the cloister's officials- built at the beginning of the 18th century. It is currently inhabited.
Former house of cloister's artisans- built at the beginning of the 18th century in L letter-shape. It is currently inhabited.
Former coach house- single-storeyed building
Former barn- now there is Karczma Cysterska (Cistercian Tavern) http://www.karczmacysterska.pl/
Cloistral square- between chestnuts there is a row of sculptures of Africans and Native Americans by Franz Joseph Mangoldt. There is also Marian Column on a massive, high pedestal surrounded by a balustrade. It was made in 1670 by a sculptor from Legnica, Mateusz Knothe. The statue of Blessed Virgin Mary was originally polychomed and gilded. At its foundations there are statues of: St. Anna, Elizabeth, Moses and Aaron.

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