Piarist College in Radom

The Piarist College in Radom is a classicist-baroque building located at the Market Square, forming part of the Radom Heritage tourist trail. The history of this site dates back to the spring of 1682, when the Piarist Order arrived in Radom. Initially, they occupied several houses in the southern frontage of the market square, and in 1684, Marcin Dunin Wąsowicz funded a wooden church dedicated to St. Martin. Construction efforts continued until 1756, when a new building designed by Antonio Solari was erected in place of the old structures, though it was never fully completed. Between 1818 and 1820, the building was expanded with a classicist northern wing featuring a representative façade, while the years 1824–1825 saw the construction of a brick church dedicated to St. John Cantius, replacing the former wooden one. Following the dissolution of the Piarist Order in 1864 as part of repressions after the January Uprising, the complex was secularized. In 1892, a neoclassical assembly hall was added to the building, and it housed a provincial gymnasium until the evacuation of the Russians in 1915. From 1945 to 1974, the building served as a secondary school, and in 1976, it was handed over to the District Museum. Architecturally, the College takes the form of an elongated rectangle with a seventeen-axis façade adorned with a Tuscan portico and pilasters. Some original interior elements have been preserved, including the vaulted cellars. An interesting feature of the complex is the incorporation of remnants of medieval defensive walls along Wałowa Street. The former Church of St. Martin was a single-nave structure with a chancel facing south; it is now divided by a ceiling, though its crowning cornice remains intact. This site combines a rich history, educational significance, and intriguing architectural solutions, making it an important landmark on Radom’s cultural map.