Discrete Carmelite Monastery in Zagórze - monumental ruins of the 18th century late Baroque church and monastery - stronghold of the Discalced Carmelite Order in Zagórze in the Podkarpackie Province on Mariemont Hill (345 m above sea level) in the bend of the Osława River. One of the few preserved fortified monasteries in Poland and on the lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The ruins of the monastery are entered in the register of immovable monuments.
Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites on Mariemont Hill, view from Zagroni, photo: Wikipedia
The founder of the Zagórze Carmel was Jan Adam Stadnicki, the voivode of Volhynia. Work on the construction of the monastery lasted exactly 30 years; the cornerstone for the construction was laid on August 7, 1700, in 1714 the monks moved in, and the construction was completed in 1730.
The monastery complex included: the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the monastery, and the farm buildings. The Carmel was surrounded by five-meter-high defensive walls. The representative entrance gate and driveway were located on the northern side. On the eastern side, just behind the walls, there was a hospital-shelter for war veterans of noble origin. The obligation to care for 12 disabled soldiers was the will of the voivode added to the foundation act in 1713. The list of residents was to be presented by the heir of Lesko. The first residents of the hospital were veterans of the relief of Vienna in 1683.
The monastery was built according to a plan approved for smaller convents, while the temple itself was built and based on dimensions ordered for larger churches. The church had a specific octagonal main nave and two side chapels. The altar itself was located exceptionally on the western side. The whole thing was built of yellow sandstone transported from a nearby quarry. Brick was used to build the arched vaults and smaller structural elements. The layout of the church is very similar to the Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites Stella Maris on Mount Carmel, built 30 years later. However, it has not been proven whether the original Zagórze model was used when designing the temple on Mount Carmel.
The monastery in Zagórze was considered outdated when the construction began, given the challenges of the fortification art and war tactics of the time. The strategic significance of the stronghold also remained small due to the conclusion of the Treaty of Karlowitz, which finally ended the wars with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate. The threat from Transylvania, which had already fallen under Habsburg rule in 1690, was also questionable.
The Zagórze building is evidence of the significant economic boom recorded in the Republic at the end of John III Sobieski's reign and at the beginning of the Saxon era. In the conditions of the poorly developed monetary economy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, construction investments were a good investment of capital for the magnates, although in this case the monastery and church were a gift from the Stadnicki family to the Carmelite order.
source – Wikipedia
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