Topics of coins
The Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec
The Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec, founded in 1044,
is the oldest existing monastery in Poland. Thus, it is
a unique witness to the development of monasticism in
Europe and to the long and turbulent history of Poland:
from the dawn of statehood, through its golden age,
the partitions, to its rebirth in the 20th century.
The primary function of the abbey, despite its
dissolution and destruction in the 19th century, has
not changed. Its location on a rocky limestone hill
in the bend of the Vistula River and the surrounding
landscape, in which the monastery buildings are
integrated, are part of a unique spirit of the Tyniec
Abbey – a place of encounter between the beauty of
nature, a thousand-year-old history, monuments, and
a still vibrant spiritual culture and hospitality.
The oldest preserved parts of the monastery date
back to the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. In 1125,
the consecration of the Romanesque basilica took place.
Subsequent reconstructions and architectural details
reflect the changes in Polish art over the centuries –
the cloisters and church walls are Gothic, the vaults
and polychromes are Renaissance, and the decor
with furnishings is Mannerist and Baroque. During
archaeological excavations conducted after World
War II, the remains of the oldest architecture of the
monastery complex were uncovered: the foundations
and lower parts of the walls of a Romanesque basilica
and refectory, floors, as well as burial sites from the 11th
and 12th centuries with valuable grave goods.
The special role of Tyniec Abbey in the consciousness of
Poles is evidenced by the period of partitions, during which
the monastery was dissolved. Nevertheless, it remained
in the collective memory, as evidenced, among others, by
Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel ‘The Teutonic Knights’ (the plot
of the book begins in Tyniec, with a rich description of the
monastery and the legends associated with it) and Saturnin
Świerzyński’s painting ‘View of Tyniec’ from 1867, housed
in the National Museum in Kraków. It depicts a typical
landscape of the period, close to Poles, heartening them
during the partitions. Tyniec and its ruins also inspired
other writers and artists such as Stefan Żeromski and
Teodor Parnicki.
During the reconstruction of the monastery in the
post-war period, a set of twin Romanesque capitals
dating from around 1100 was discovered. One of them
shows a beautiful relief palmette motif, which was
reproduced on the current 10 złoty banknote. And
thus, the centuries-old Tyniec capital has become an
everyday companion of almost every Pole.
Br. Michał Tomasz Gronowski OSB, PhD, DSc