The former Bernardine Monsatery Complex
Monuments
ul. Bernardyńska 24, 33-100 Tarnów
Tourist region: Tarnów i okolice
In the 15th century, Bernardine monks came to Tarnów. They were brought here by the contemporary Cracovian voivode, Jan Amor of Tarnów.
He founded for them what originally was a wooden monastery, and then brick fortified monastery complex consisting of a magnificent one-aisle church of Our Lady of the Snows, three-storey monastery wings incuding a small whirlpool, as well as the farm buildings. All of this was surrounded by a defensive wall with main enterance gate and wicket gates. After 1530, recently-discovered fortifications were additionally built in the form of two bastions connected to the monastery by underground corridors, insured moat and earth embankments.Thanks to all that, the monastery was preserved in amost unchanged condition up to roughly 1820. Throughout years 1823 and 1825 however, it underwent critical tansformations. The side residential wings of the monastery were torn down, while the southern wing, rebuilt in a classical spirit, was used as a city jail. The Gothic church of Our Lady of the snows has been transformed into a classicist seat of the Noble Court (Forum Nobilium). Defensive fortifications were also dismantled.
Today at Bernardyńska Street we can find both buildings and fragmenrs of the ruins, which served as parts of the formed Bernardine Monastery Complex.