Origins of the church The origins of the church are associated with the arrival in 1615 of the sisters of the
Order of Saint Clare in
Bydgoszcz. On the place chosen by the Poor Clares stood a hospital church () made of oak, dedicated to the Holy Spirit and erected on citizens donations in 1448. The decision to build a brick church on the site was made in 1522, but the actual work didn't start until 1582. The construction of the new church used the superstructure of the hospital church standing here. Building the walls took approximately 8 years (until 1590), the interiors were completed in 1602. From 1602 to 1618, the construction was put on hold. It was only in 1615, after the establishment of the Convent of the Poor Clares in Bydgoszcz and a donation by the city council in 1616 of a land on the outskirts of Gdansk, that things really started. First were constructed the
nave, then the former Holy Spirit's church became the base of the new church's
choir. As a result, the new entrance of the church, much larger than the former one, was an ogival
arch, joining the
choir to the nave. New patrons were then added,
St. Wojciech,
St. Clare and
Saint Barbara. In addition, inside the altar were sealed
relics of: •
Saint Wojciech, •
Saint Barbara, • Rufin and
Perpetua of Carthage (
Christian martyrs). In 1646, the church was adorned in the priests
Chapel with a rich,
Renaissance attic and a
crypt for nuns, both offered by the mayor of Bydgoszcz, Wojciech Łochowski; this chapel still exists today. New elements in the interior have been put inside: in 1651, a grid iron separating the
chancel from the nave, and in 1661 a tombstone plaque of Sophia Smoszewska -founder of sisters' monastery in Bydgoszcz. Slits on the lower levels were adjusted to allow the use of
firearms. In 1730, funds donated by Helen Zkoraczewską Złotnicka helped to rebuild all the windows in the church, and in 1746 a porch with 2 entrances was added (no traces today).
Church as seen from a visit in 1760 In a detailed visit made in 1760,
Livonian bishop
Antoni Kazimierz Ostrowski reported that the church was all in brick and covered with Polish
tiles. Adjacent were two
sacristies for priests and sisters, a
porch church and a
tower covered with a dome. On the tower were suspended two silver
bells and another in the
flèche. Inside, there were two
galleries and the nave was covered with decorated,
polychrome wooden ceiling, which can are still be admired today. In the chancel was a large, gilded altar with two paintings: the coronation of
Virgin Mary at the bottom and
St. Francis of Assisi at the top. Besides the main one, there were seven side altars dedicated to: •
Saint Ursula - altar from 1736. This was associated with the St. Ursula brotherhood, which in 1751 got permission to celebrate prayers, on certain days of the year, giving
indulgences for the deliverance of souls from
purgatory, In June 1848, a severe storm knocked down the metal structure of the
tower. A year later it was replaced by a lower roof. In June 1863 the building housed the Cleaning Department of Streets and latrines. Then, in 1875, in the building was installed a
fire station, with space for firefighting cars and stables. •
Arches were bricked, • chancel was divided into two floors, creating an apartment upstairs for commander, • Part of window openings were liquidated, some reduced, • Opening window of the Chapel Łochowski became a door, leading to a decorated
terrace with a view on the roof, • Two-storey sacristy was separated by an indoor roof, and converted as a
stairwell, • The nave was adapted to ease movements and transport. In 1888, the Historical Society of
Netze District in Bydgoszcz made available the chancel for exhibition purposes. The exhibition of historical collections started in 1890, and imposed an external
stairwell to be erected on northern wall. In the following years, the Historical Society of
Netze District planned and systematically carried out conservation actions. Around 1900 was built a ceiling with joists in the nave, and 1901 a clock with two dial plates was mounted on the
tower and a
Baroque pink cupola reconstructed. Initially, the 1897 project should take a modest form but eventually urban architect Carl Meyer, with the help of Prussian conservator J. Kothe, changed the design, using 1844-drawing of Ferdinand von Quastof. Once completed, the church was the pride of
Bromberg city center. A restoration work on
polychromed ceiling and wall paintings has been performed from 1987 to 1989, and another in the early 1990s. In 1991 began the restoration work of the main altar, and the plaster covering of the chancel walls and
vaults, removing old
stucco from the 1920s and revealing original primary colors.
Parish Since
World War II, the church has received higher titles: • In 1951, rector's church, • In 1972, academic church by decree of
Primate of Poland Stefan Wyszyński, • In 1983, it ceased to be a subsidiary of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Martin and Nicholas in Bydgoszcz. From 13 November 1993 the pastoral work of the church has been conducted by the
order of Friars Minor Capuchin. == Architecture ==