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cistercian monastery in Oliwa, Poland
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The Oliwa Abbey was the Cistercian monastic community in Oliwa (now a district of Gdańsk), the oldest monastic establishment in Gdańsk Pomerania, which existed continuously from 1188 to 1831, now a Historic Monument of Poland.
The monastery buildings were repeatedly destroyed by pagan Prussians, Brandenburgers, Teutonic Knights, Hussites, Swedes, Russians, and the people of Gdańsk itself. From 1466 to 1772 it consistently sided with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in its ongoing disputes with Gdańsk. In the twilight years of its existence, the abbey became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772 following the First Partition of Poland. Due to Prussian dissolution policies, the Cistercian order was abolished in 1831.
From the mid-12th century, numerous Cistercian monasteries were established in the Polish lands, especially in Greater Poland, Pomerania, western Lesser Poland, and Silesia: Łekno (1153), Lubiąż (1163), Kołbacz (1173), Ląd (1173), Sulejów (1176), Wąchock (1179), Koprzywnica (1185), Mogiła (1222), Henryków (1227), and others. Somewhat later, a few Cistercian convents were established: Trzebnica (1203), Ołobok (1211), and Owińska (1250).
The composition of the convents was overwhelmingly foreign. The Cistercians of Lesser Poland originated from Morimond in Burgundy (now in Champagne), and until the late Middle Ages, French and Italians predominated here. In the convents in other regions, there were mostly Germans – only the citizens of Cologne were admitted to the Greater Polish Łekno, Ląd, or Obra (1240) (a filial of the Cistercian abbey in Altenberg near Cologne). In Kołbacz and its subsequent filials, Danes dominated.
Without the orders – both in terms of secular and ecclesiastical authorities – the process of civilization and Christianization of the Polish territories would undoubtedly have proceeded much more slowly. The monks brought with them a broad knowledge of literature, architecture, agriculture, various crafts, and, above all, management. Their activities laid the foundation for the structure of the Piast states during the period of territorial fragmentation.
The idea of bringing the Cistercians to Pomerania is attributed in the chronicles of the Oliwa Abbey to the Gdańsk duke Sobieslaw I. In reality, the founder was the son of Sobieslaw, Duke Sambor I, who in 1186 brought them from Kołbacz: The Pomeranian Duke Sambor settled the Cistercian order in a place called Oliwa. The group of monks was led by the Dane Bernard Dithard, who became the first abbot. The Kołbacz Abbey was a filial of the Danish Esrum Abbey, so the monks who came to Oliwa were probably mostly from Denmark.
On 18 March 1188, the foundation act was ceremonially signed in Gdańsk. The monastery received valuable privileges enabling it to derive income from fishing and mills on the Oliwa Stream. It also received several villages, including the one that the monks named: Olyva, ubi coenobium constructum est (English: Oliwa, where the community is being built). Among linguists, there has long been a dispute over the origin of this name, with most agreeing that the etymology should be sought in the Slavic name of the river Oława, mistakenly associated by the monks who did not know the old Kashubian language with an olive, and consequently with the Mount of Olives.
The original monastery consisted of only twelve monks. Therefore, they limited themselves to building a Romanesque oratory and wooden residential buildings. Only in the first half of the 13th century was the oratory adapted into a chancel, elongated chapels were added on both sides, characteristic of the Cistercian church in Fontenay, on the plans of which many Cistercian temples were modeled. At that time, the transept and the main body of the church were built, with a length of four bays of the current nave, as well as the first brick monastery buildings. Around 1300, the Church of St. James was also built, intended – as a parish church – for the local population.
Around 1195, the monks from the Oliwa Abbey were removed, and new ones were sent from Kołbacz; presumably, it was due to disciplinary issues. However, the abbey flourished, and the generous donations of the dukes meant that by the end of the 13th century, the Oliwa Abbey owned 50 villages, a fishing station on the now practically nonexistent Zaspa Lake with a fleet of 40 boats, as well as exclusive rights to use the Strzyża stream and have mills on it, not to mention tithes from tariffs and Gdańsk taverns: decimam etiam de omnibus tabernis.
In 1226, the monastery was plundered and burned by pagan Prussians, and the monks were massacred in front of the inhabitants. Soon after, new monks arrived from Kołbacz and began rebuilding, but in 1236, the Prussians returned, burning the buildings and killing six monks and thirty-four servants. The first of these attacks led Pope Honorius III to exempt the Cistercians of Oliwa from tithes. The abbey also experienced several raids by the Teutonic Knights; in 1246, the knights burnt down the monastery, and in 1247 and 1252, they plundered it. These were retaliatory strikes on the lands of Świętopełk II, whom the Teutonic Knights suspected of inciting the Prussians to revolt.
In 1294, another guardian of the abbey, Duke Mestwin II, died. In 1274, he had prohibited outsiders from logging in the forests belonging to the Oliwa Abbey. He was buried in the monastery church, like other Pomeranian rulers.
For Mestwin's funeral, Przemysł II – the Duke of Greater Poland, who, under an earlier agreement, inherited power in Pomerania – came to Oliwa. The unification of both regions opened the way for his coronation. However, he did not reign for long; he was murdered in 1296. For the next dozen or so years, Pomerania changed hands. First, its ruler was Duke Władysław I Łokietek, but in 1300, Wenceslaus II, ruling in Bohemia, became the king of Poland. In 1305, he was succeeded by Wenceslaus III, but before he could settle on the throne, he was assassinated in 1306. At that time, Pomerania was again taken over by Władysław Łokietek, who was gathering Polish lands, but soon he lost it. In 1308, nearby Gdańsk was occupied by the Brandenburgers, who inflicted significant damage on the abbey, which in 1310 was compensated by Margrave Waldemar, later mentioned among the benefactors of the abbey.
After the Gdańsk massacre in 1308, Oliwa, along with the entire Pomerania, came under the Teutonic Order's rule. Abbot Rüdiger had to acknowledge the status quo. Despite this, and the confirmation in 1312 of the monastery's possessions by the Grand Master Karl von Trier, there were initially numerous disputes over property and territory between the Cistercian monastery and the Order. Therefore, at the request of the abbot of Oliwa, Pope John XXII confirmed the monastery's possessions in 1320. The bishops of Warmia and Pomesania also confirmed the monastery's property undividedness in 1323.
The abbots of Oliwa recognized the Teutonic Knights' authority. They even took their side during disputes with Poland before the pope. This did not prevent them, in 1325, despite the explicit prohibition of the Teutonic Knights, from paying Peter's Pence to the Polish bishops. Eventually, Oliwa's disputes with the Teutonic Order ceased in 1342, when Grand Master Ludolf König von Wattzau recognized all the Cistercians' claims.
On 25 March 1350, fire completely consumed the church and monastery; the fire likely broke out during the cleaning of the kitchen chimney. The church was rebuilt within five years, adopting a Gothic style. The chancel was extended eastward, and an ambulatory and an abbey chapel of the Holy Cross were built in place of the abolished chapels. The main nave was extended by four bays, giving the temple its current dimensions. During this time, a large refectory and a lavabo were also built in the monastery. Money for the reconstruction came, among other sources, from the treasury of Grand Master Heinrich Dusemer.
At the beginning of the 15th century, there was a clear relaxation of discipline, partly due to the monastery's financial situation. The Teutonic Knights imposed high taxes on the monastery's estates from 1401 to 1403 due to the escalating conflict with King Władysław II Jagiełło. This was compounded by epidemics in 1416 and 1427, followed by an invasion of Hussite Taborites allied with Poland. In 1433, during the Hussite expedition to the Baltic, Hussites led by Jan Čapek of Sány caused serious damage to the abbey and its estates, including burning down Sopot, but they did not capture Gdańsk, where the monks from Oliwa took refuge.
In 1454, the Thirteen Years' War broke out. King Casimir IV Jagiellon, at the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation, declared the re-incorporation of Gdańsk Pomerania. Visiting the cities of Pomerania, he visited Oliwa in 1457. The abbey supported the Prussian Confederation, providing financial support and siding with the king. The Teutonic Knights tried to regain the lost territories, so the royal troops defending Gdańsk occupied the Oliwa Abbey. 600 soldiers under Gotard of Radlin surrounded Oliwa with a ring of fortifications.
Ultimately, after 1466, as a result of the Second Peace of Thorn, Gdańsk Pomerania returned to Poland as part of the province of Royal Prussia, later part of the larger Greater Poland Province.
In the second half of the 15th century, attempts were made to annex the monasteries in Oliwa and Pelplin to the Polish provincial convents, but in 1487, the general chapter of the Cistercian Order in Cîteaux, Burgundy, issued a decree stating that both convents belonged to the Baltic province. Oliwa was visited by abbots from Kołbacz, which probably contributed to the removal of Abbot Piotr Smitzingius.
From 1474 to 1488, Abbot Mikołaj Muskendorf carried out renovation and construction work in the abbey and its estates. In 1516, the Oliwa Abbey provided hospitality to Albert of Prussia, which was viewed as hostile to the Crown, as during the war of 1519–1521, mercenary units from Brandenburg passed through Oliwa. The monks explained that Albert was the Grand Master of the Order, and the abbey provided him with lodging as a dignitary of the Church.
The 16th century saw increasing influences of the Reformation in Gdańsk and Pomerania. After 1525, the Pomeranian nobility, leaning towards the Reformation, began demanding that the Cistercians join the mendicant orders and leave the monastery, living on alms. King Sigismund I the Old intervened on behalf of the Oliwa Cistercians, entrusting the protection of the abbey to Voivode Jerzy Bażyński. In 1540, the Gdańsk City Council decreed that the Oliwa monastery should support education, but the abbots cited low income as a reason not to comply. In the same year, an attempt was made to transfer the estates of the Oliwa and Pelplin monasteries to the diocesan bishop, but the Pelplin abbot personally sought confirmation of his possessions from King Sigismund II Augustus. In the entire Pomeranian province, only Oliwa and Pelplin remained, as other abbeys ceased to exist.
The influences of the Reformation were also felt in Oliwa. In 1549, Lambert Schlieff, favoring Protestantism, was appointed abbot. The choice was made under pressure from the Loitz family, which had significant influence on the king. Schlieff was supported by the Bishop of Warmia. In 1555, King Sigismund Augustus granted Schlieff indygenat. The Oliwa Chronicle called Schlieff uneducated, disobedient, and wasteful of the abbey's wealth, which led to his removal from office in 1557. This was initiated by Kasper Geschkau, who accused Schlieff of various crimes. Initially, the king stopped supporting Schlieff, but under the influence of his powerful backers, he reinstated him as abbot. In 1559, on his way to the abbey, Schlieff died, but he managed to appoint his successor, Mikołaj Locka.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Oliwa Abbey”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.