The former abbey of Canons Regular of St. Augustine in the context of the city of Żagań

Małgorzata Doroz-Turek

doi:10.5277/arc120210

Abstract

The article presents transformations of the architecture of the former monastery complex of St Augustine Canon Regulars along with a church in Żagań. Since its erection the monastery in question has been connected with the culture of the city where it was founded. The great significance of the preserved monastery complex for Żagań and the community living there is exemplified by the fact that it was entered in the register of historical monuments. The document confirming this fact was signed by president Bronisław Komorowski on 11th March 2011.     The article came into existence on the basis of PhD thesis entitled Medieval monastery architecture of Saint Augustine canon regulars in Silesia which was written at the Faculty of Architecture of Wroclaw University of Technology. On the basis of architectural research conducted by the author in the years 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 it was possible to distinguish six medieval construction phases of the monastery complex. A medieval period lasted from the 13th to the 16th century and it was followed by the Renaissance and Baroque. Till the 18th century monumental architecture of the preserved complex with features of the Medieval, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles was formed. During these centuries the monastery was not only a leading religious centre but also a scientific one as it was equipped with a scriptorium and a library which in time became one of the biggest libraries in Central Europe.     It can be concluded that the activity of the monastery of Saint Augustine canon regulars and an impressive post-monastery architectural layout is inextricably linked with the culture of Żagań.