Church of the Poor Clares

Church of the Poor Clares is a red brick Gothic church with a few Renaissance touches built between 1582 and 1602 on the site of a previous wooden church and hospital. Officially named the Church of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, it is known locally as the Church of the Poor Clares as it was the home of the Order of the Poor Clares from 1619 until 1835.

The building was turned into a warehouse and later a fire station during the Prussian occupation of the city. Renovated at the end of WWI and reconsecrated in 1923, the church now functions as the city's main garrison church, serving the 10,000 or so military personnel stationed in Bydgoszcz. Of the church's many wonders, of particular interest is the early 17th-century distemper ceiling inside the nave, featuring 112 polychrome panels of beautifully executed flower designs.

References:

• In Your Pocket

Address

Jagiellońska 1a, Bydgoszcz, Poland

Details

Founded: 1582-1602
Category: Religious sites in Poland