This is the spiritual heart of the town. Here St Kinga lived and died, here her relics rest, and the sisters have prayed behind these walls without a break for more than seven centuries.
It was on 6 July 1280 that Duchess Kinga handed Stary Sącz, together with 28 villages, to the Poor Clares. The sisters were to be the ladies of this town for nearly five centuries. The Gothic sandstone church was consecrated in 1332 by Bishop Jan Grot. At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries the walls were raised and pierced with loopholes, and Jan di Simoni rebuilt the convent in stone.
The interior of the church surprises with its Baroque splendour. The “Tree of Jesse” pulpit dates from 1671, and the marble altars came from the workshop of Baltazar Fontana at the end of the 17th century. The relics of the foundress rest in St Kinga’s Chapel, guarded by a limewood figure of the saint from around 1470.
The sisters survived the Josephine dissolution, the fire of 1764 and two world wars. In 1999, for the first time in more than 700 years, they left the enclosure to meet John Paul II. Since 2018 the old town complex, together with the convent, has been a Monument of History. Remember that this is a living convent, not a museum. Enter as a guest would – quietly and with respect.
Photographs
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The courtyard of the Poor Clares’ convent photo Scotch Mist · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source -
The Székely Gate by the convent – a gift from 1999 photo John Samuel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source -
The defensive walls of the Poor Clares’ convent, with a tower photo Wanda Cyculeńko · CC BY 3.0 · Source -
A cylindrical tower of the convent walls photo Andrzej Otrębski · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source -
The Poor Clares’ convent and the parish church tower above the valley – a postcard from 1910 photo unknown author · Public domain · Source -
A tower of the convent walls, south-eastern side, c. 1900–1904 photo unknown author · Public domain · Source -
The refectory of the Poor Clares’ convent between the wars photo unknown author · Public domain · Source -
The courtyard of St Kinga’s convent – a postcard from the early 20th century photo unknown author · Public domain · Source
This place then and now →
