Klasztor Franciszkanów
Building · Łódź · Łódź
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The Franciscan monastery in Łagiewniki grew from a wooden chapel to St. Anthony built in 1676 by the Żeleński family, with construction continuing into provincial Baroque form through 1746. Russian authorities shut it down after the January Uprising in 1864, and the friars did not regain it for 54 years. German forces used it as vehicle repair workshops during World War II before the Franciscans returned for good.
According to the friars' own account, St. Anthony appeared to a poor carpenter named Jerzy in 1675 while he built a mill for the local landowner Samuel Żeleński, during an outbreak of cattle plague on the estate. Żeleński raised the first chapel the following year, and by 1682 a larger wooden church with three towers stood ready, drawing 15,000 people to the installation of its image alone. Rome confirmed the apparitions in 1680, and a papal nuncio declared Łagiewniki an authentic site of miracles the year after. The stone church that eventually replaced the timber building took 23 years to complete, a stretch that coincided with Saxon rule over Poland, and its Baroque main altar still hides a 17th-century painting of St. Anthony behind a later one showing him holding a lily and cradling the Christ Child. Underground crypts beneath the church hold the remains of friars and benefactors who served the sanctuary over the centuries.
What you see
A Baroque church and monastery cluster, its two-story brick bell tower added in 1843, stands in a clearing within the Łagiewnicki Forest, one of the largest forested areas inside any European city.
Practical
Roughly 35 km of marked cycling trails loop through the surrounding Łagiewnicki Forest in three colour-coded routes: green (12 km), red (10 km) and blue (13 km).
monasterypilgrimage siteforestbaroque architecture
Monastery built in 1683 — a listed immovable monument in poland.
Cafés nearby
Climbs, views & nature nearby
History & landmarks nearby
Common questions
- Why stop at Klasztor Franciszkanów on a bike ride?
- The Franciscan monastery in Łagiewniki grew from a wooden chapel to St. Anthony built in 1676 by the Żeleński family, with construction continuing into provincial Baroque form through 1746. Russian authorities shut it down after the January Uprising in 1864, and the friars did not regain it for 54 years. German forces used it as vehicle repair workshops during World War II before the Franciscans returned for good.
- Where is Klasztor Franciszkanów?
- Klasztor Franciszkanów is in Łódź, Łódź (Poland).