St. Francis Seraphicus Church in Poznań

The Church of St. Francis Seraphicus in Poznań, commonly known as the Bernardine Church, is a Baroque temple with a brick monastery located on Garbary Street. Its history dates back to 1455, when Bishop Andrzej Bniński granted the land to the Bernardines, who soon built a wooden church. The brick structure in the Late Gothic style was consecrated in 1473. Throughout its history, the church suffered numerous devastations, including during the Swedish Deluge and World War II, when it became a site of German resistance. After the war, the building was rebuilt by the Minorites, and in 1988, a central library of old prints and a museum related to missions were established there. The church's architecture is characterized by a massive, single-nave structure with a Baroque facade and two 29-meter towers designed by Jan Adam Stier. Inside, there is a richly decorated interior with a main altar and numerous Franciscan sculptures. An interesting feature is the 18th-century crucifix in the Chapel of the Cross, transferred from the Recollects' monastery in Wieleń. The monastery library houses valuable manuscripts, including incunabula, as well as ethnographic collections related to missions. Since 2017, the church has served as a stational church during Lent.