Church and Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Łęczyca

The Church and Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Łęczyca is a Baroque church and monastery complex of the Bernardines, built in the seventeenth century. The site is both a registered monument and an active parish on ulica Poznańska.

Foundation and construction

The initiative for construction was taken by Dorota Piwowska, who in 1632 invited the Bernardine order to Łęczyca. The church was built in the years 1636-1643, and its consecration took place in 1652. Since then, the building has served continuously as a place of worship, with a break during the dissolution of the monastery in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Architecture and interior

The church represents the Baroque style, is single-naved, with a distinguished presbytery. The interior is decorated with polychrome from the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, executed by brother Walenty Żebrowski. It is considered one of the finest murals in the entire Bernardine Province, which makes the interior of the church the main reason to step inside, beyond viewing the structure from outside.

History of the monastery

For a certain period the church and monastery were managed by the Jesuits, but after 1946 the buildings returned to the care of the Bernardines, who have run them to this day. Earlier, during the January Uprising in 1863-1864, monks from the monastery helped the insurgents. This assistance led to the dissolution of the monastery in 1864, after which the order lost control of the building for an extended period.

Parish and monument protection

An independent pastoral centre at the monastery was established in 1979 by bishop Józef Rozwadowski. An independent parish was created two years later, in 1981, and operates at the monastery to this day. The building is entered in the monument register, maintained under the reference numbers Inspire ID PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_10_BK.129250 and PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_10_BK.158002.

Church, monastery and city

The church and monastery complex stands on ulica Poznańska, in the part of Łęczyca known as the city centre. It is one of the sacred buildings that testify to the former importance of the city as a religious centre, alongside other monuments connected with the history of Łęczyca as a former capital of the duchy and seat of the castellany.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Poznańska 18a, 99-101 Łęczyca
• Sunday masses: 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30, 12:45, 18:30
• Weekday masses: 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 18:30
• Mass times are worth checking before your visit, as they may change
• What to expect: Baroque church, monastery buildings, polychrome in the presbytery by brother Walenty Żebrowski