Głębowice Monastery

Głębowice Monastery is a historic post-monastic complex of the Carmelites in Wołów County, also known as Garnierówka. Today the former monastery building serves as a retreat house, while the church next to it operates as an active parish.

Foundation and the first years

The monastery was founded by Baron Jan Adam de Garnier, and the founding deed was signed on 31 July 1676. The cornerstone was laid in August of the same year, and the building was already inhabited in 1679. Earlier, a parish church dedicated to the Prophet Elijah was mentioned on this site, known already in 1598.

Fires and rebuilding

The monastery buildings were consumed by fires in 1682 and 1743. After the destruction of 1743 the church and monastery were rebuilt by 1746, after which both buildings gained a more impressive character than before.

Fate after the dissolution

The monastery served the Carmelites until 1810, when the Prussian secularisation took the building from the order and turned it into a distillery. After the Second World War the building deteriorated under the management of a state agricultural farm. Since 1998 it has belonged to the local parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which, after renovation, set up a retreat house in it.

Visiting

The post-monastic complex can be visited with a guide on the first Sunday of the month at 16:00. The route includes, among others, the refectory, the library with frescoes, the cellars and the herb garden in the monastery courtyard. The church tower has been adapted into a viewpoint with an educational trail devoted to the nature of the Łacha valley, protected within the Natura 2000 network. The eastern wing is occupied by the presbytery and rooms open to parish groups. Outside the visiting times, the building operates primarily as accommodation for retreat and pilgrimage groups, so before your visit it is worth arranging a date by phone in advance.

Nearby

The area around Głębowice has several other historic residences.

• Just 100 metres away stands the palace in Głębowice.
• About 3.8 kilometres to the east lies the palace in Białawy Małe.
• At a similar distance, 3.3 kilometres, is the palace in Brzózka.

Practical information

• Location: Głębowice, Wołów municipality, Wołów County
• Guided visits: first Sunday of the month, 16:00 (from May to October), meeting point at the main door of Garnierówka, behind the church
• What to expect: a baroque church-and-monastery complex today serving as a retreat house, open to visitors mainly on set dates