The exact founding date of the Benedictine abbey in Tyniec remains unknown. There is speculation that King Casimir the Restorer may have re-established the Abbey in 1040 as part of his efforts to reconstruct the Kingdom of Poland following a Pagan rebellion and a disastrous raid by Duke Bretislaus I in 1039.
The Benedictines, brought to Tyniec by King Casimir the Restorer, were charged with restoring order and solidifying the State and Church's position. The initial Abbot of Tyniec was Aaron, later becoming the Bishop of Kraków. Some historians suggest that the abbey might have been founded by Casimir the Restorer's son, King Boleslaw II the Generous.
Before the Roman Catholics arrived, the monks in Tyniec followed the Cyrillo-Methodian Christian tradition originating in Moravia in 862. The Benedictines succeeded the Cyrillo-Methodian monks. In 1096, the Monks of Tyniec were expelled, and the use of the Roman Catholic-approved Slavonic Rite Mass was halted. These expulsions coincided with the rule of Polish Duke Władysław I Herman, who credited the Benedictines of Saint Gilles in southern France for aiding in the birth of his first son. Similar events occurred in other regions concurrently, such as at Sazava Monastery.
In the latter part of the 11th century, a complex of Romanesque buildings, including a basilica and the abbey, was completed. It was destroyed in Tatar and Czech raids in the 14th century and later rebuilt in Gothic style during the 15th century. Subsequent renovations occurred in Baroque and Rococo styles in the 17th and 18th centuries. The abbey suffered partial destruction during the Swedish invasion of Poland, leading to reconstruction with the addition of a new library. The abbey was also turned into a rebel fortress during the Bar Confederation.
In 1816, the Austrian authorities dissolved the abbey, which later served as the seat of the Bishop of Tyniec, Gregorius Thomas Ziegler, between 1821 and 1826. The monks did not return until 1939, with remodeling efforts initiated in 1947 to restore the neglected complex. In 1968, the Church of St. Peter and Paul was designated the abbot's seat once again, featuring a Gothic presbytery and a Baroque main nave. The church houses several altars crafted by Francesco Placidi and a late Baroque pulpit by Franciszek Jozef Mangoldt.
After more than a century of being unoccupied, the abbey was inhabited by eleven Belgian monks in the final days of July 1939, just before the onset of World War II.
All images in this article is captured with Pentax 645 and Ilford XP2 Super 400.
