Overview

We do not know the exact date of arrival of the Augustinians to Krasnystaw. We know with certainty that the buildings of the Augustinian church and monastery, erected in the years 1394 – 1434 and existing to this day, were founded by king Władysław Jagiełło. They were built of stone and bricks in the Gothic style of a defensive character and situated next to the Piast castle. Monastery buildings were located within the city walls. The monastery and the church of the Holy Trinity included in the complex are the oldest existing sacral buildings of the Krasnystaw land. In 1449 the complex was destroyed by the Tatars, but already in 1458 it was rebuilt by Kazimierz Jagielończyk. Subsequent rulers: Aleksander Jagielończyk and Zygmunt August, appreciating the missionary work of the Order, granted it numerous privileges and generously endowed it. The Augustinians were well educated, because the Order imposed the obligation to study. Just as the Dominicans and Franciscans they had the right to confess and proclaim the word of God, which was probably their main task, because the area of the Diocese of Chełm required a great deal of missionary work. Pope Boniface VIII granted the Augustinian Order special privileges, namely the right to establish cemeteries in his monasteries, where every believer could be buried.

Since 1648 there were terrible and destructive wars in Poland. In the east of the country, a Cossack rebellion, started by Chmielnicki, broke out. The Ukrainian rebels showed no mercy. Churches, mansions and entire provinces were burned, castles were demolished. Priests, monks, nobles and simple people, including women and children, were murdered. Everything that was Polish and Catholic was destroyed. The Cossacks, unable to conquer Zamość in 1649, plundered, among others, the Krasnystaw land in retaliation. After conquering Krasnystaw, they completely ravaged it, also burning city files.

In the spring of 1657, the Hungarian soldiers of Prince Rakoczy and the Cossacks accompanying them ravaged Krasnystaw and burned the Augustinian monastery. At that time the archives of the Augustinian Order gathered in the monastery burned down. In the years 1755-1766, thanks to the great benefactors of the Order, who was, among others, Katarzyna Radziwiłłów from Sobieski, the church of the Holy Trinity was renovated, while the monastery was built from scratch.

After the dissolution of the Order of Augustinian priests by the tsarist authorities in 1864, its rather substantial property reaching 700 morgs of land was parceled out. The clerics were allowed to keep only liturgical vestments, books from the rich at that time library and paintings of saints. The facilities, transformed into barracks, were taken over by the Russian army. In the interwar period, a communication company of the Polish Army was located in the barracks. Today, this place is under the management of the Tadeusz Kościuszko High School Complex No. 1. At the present Zamkowa Street, the remains of the once impressive church and monastery complex of Augustinian priests have been preserved.

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Facilities

  • Shooting possible: yes
  • Parking for passenger cars: yes

Restrictions

  • Admission with pets: no
  • No smoking: yes
  • Admission: with the consent of the school headmaster

More interesting places

The former men’s gymnasium

The building administrated by Special School and Educational Centre has got quite rich history and at the same time important for the national identity of the society of Krasnystaw. It was built at the beginning of the last century for the purpose of a casino for the officers of the tsarist garrison. During the period of intense fighting for Krasnystaw in the summer 1914 and in the summer 1915 military lazerat was located there. On January 3rd 1917 Austrian occupation authorities agreed to open a men's gymnasium for young people from Krasnystaw. It was the first Polish Real Gymnasium in Krasnystaw. It functioned for many years and over time girls also could study in this school. The first director of the Men's Gymnasium in Krasnystaw was a Polish officer, captain of Austro-Hungarian army Jan Wowczak. It is a classic example of the numerous presence of our compatriots in the uniforms of the armies of the partitioning states on almost every fronts of World War I. During World War II German occupiers closed the gymnasium, because Polish childern were not allowed to educated themselves more than in public school and vocational school. Over the period of the German occupation the garrison headquarters were located here. After war students came back to this building again. Special School and Educational Centre of the name of Maria Doroszewska began functioning here in 1968.

The manor complex

In the mid-nineteenth century, the lands of the complex belonged to the nearby Roman Catholic parish of St. Francis Xavier. The former manor house was erected in the first half of the nineteenth century. It was built in the classicist style, facing south. It is wooden, plastered and has a basement with a four-column portico from the front. In 1865 the tsarist authorities confiscated the property, that came under the control of the empire's treasury, specifically the authorities of the governorate. It was leased first to the Dziewicki family, who lived in Krasnystaw for many years. After the stay of the Dziewicki family, a souvenir in the form of a modest building was left in our city. It is the grave of the family in the parish cemetery in Krasnystaw. The last tenants were the Radomyski family. Henryk Radomyski served as the mayor of Krasnystaw. He was arrested by Germans and murdered at the Lublin Castle in February 1942. After 1944, the manor land was parceled out and the buildings were handed over to various institutions. The government estate "Starostwo Krasnostawskie" consisted of two manors before the war: „Starostwo”, on the territory of which the manor house stood and the grange "Rońsko". Currently, the manor house has undergone a thorough renovation and since October 2015 it has been the seat of the Center for Social Integration.
  • The manor complex
  • Sikorskiego 10, 22-300 Krasnystaw

The castle in Krupe

It is considered as the largest castle in Poland. It was erected on the eastern side of the Vistula River. The castle was built and expanded at the end of the XVI century on the site of the former family seat of the Krupski family by the Chełm chamberlain Paweł Orzechowski, coat of arms Rogala. It was expanded in 1604 – 1608. The castle was in the hands of the Orzechowski family until 1644. This historical building was located on a platform similar to a rectangle. An ensemble consists of the proper castle and the castle boroughs. These buildings form a closed fortified circuit. It is made of stone and brick. The castle proper is located in the western part and separated by an internal moat, included in the perimeter of the defensive walls with bastions on the north-east and south corners. In the area of castle boroughs there was once an economic courtyard with buildings and the main entrance from the north-east with a drawbridge and a gate. The castle was destroyed in 1648 – 1660 during the Cossack invasion and the Swedish Deluge. Since the second half of the XVIII century, the castle has been in ruins.

The town hall

The town hall is a flagship building in every city center. Soi t is in Krasnystaw. Archeologine research indicates that it was originally located in the middle of the town square. Burned down during the great fire of Krasnystaw which took place in 1878. The current town hall is a building from the beginning of the twentieth century. This is evidenced, for example, by postcards from Krasnystaw made in 1914, on which it is just visible. On websites it is erroneously stated that the town hall was built in the interwar period. However, it is only true that in the interwar period in 1928 it was rebuilt after serious destruction caused by the battles for the town in August 1914 and in July 1915. In recent years, the façade of the building has been restored.