Monastery of Discalced Carmelites, Wadowice

Ceglany kościół i klasztor Karmelitów widziany z zewnątrz.
The Discalced Carmelites settled in Wadowice in 1890, first in a house at Gościniec Zatorski (now 24 Wojska Polskiego Street). Between 1897 and 1899, a monastery with a church was built on a hill called "Górka" on the southern side of the town. Today, together with the retreat house, they form a single neo-Romanesque architectural complex that constitutes an important worship centre of St. Joseph, Our Lady of the Scapular, and St Raphael Kalinowski.

The monastery and the church were designed by an architect from Vienna, Richard Jordan, and Adam Kozłowski was in charge of the construction. The walls of the three-nave church are made of non-plastered brick. The choir is located on the upper floor behind the main altar. The furnishings (late 19th century) such as the altars, the pulpit and stations of the cross were made in the workshop of Ferdynand Stuflesser in Gröden St. Ulrich in Tirol that exists to this day. The central place of the main altar belongs to the oil painting depicting St. Joseph, painted by Frantisek Bergman from the Czech Republic. Niches to the right and to the left contain statues of reformers of the Carmelite Order, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Above them are statues of the Carmelite saints, St. Berthold and Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, and a statue of God the Father with two angels on top of the altar. The tabernacle, which is the heart of the altar, is flanked by figures of angels. The tabernacle is topped off with a sculpture of the apocalyptic lamb lying on a book closed with seven seals. The stone mensa of the main altar (a table) is embellished with bas-reliefs depicting the sacrifice of Melchizedek and the offering of Isaac by Abraham. The left side aisle in the altar of Our Lady of the Scapular contains an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel according to a painting by Frein von Oër. In front of this altar Karol Wojtyla received his first scapular after his first Holy Communion. From then on, the future pope always wore a linen scapular and never replaced it with a scapular medal. The relic of the scapular that belonged to St. John Paul II is currently displayed in the golden rosette visible on the wall to the left of the altar. In 2004, the painting of St. Joseph in the main altar was decorated with the Fisherman's Ring of Pope John Paul II and the ‘Na Górce’ church was given the title of the Sanctuary of St. Joseph.

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