Camaldolese Church in Bielany

The Camaldolese Order was brought to Poland by the Grand Marshal of the Crown, Mikołaj Wolski on whose initiative and with whose money the construction of the church and monastery soon started on Srebrna Góra – Silver Mountain – near Kraków, whose name serves to remind us how Wolski acquired the area. It is said that in order to convince the previous owner of the forested hills, Sebastian Lubomirski, to abandon them to him for the needs of the order, the Marshal gave a feast. Though reluctant to sell them, Lubomirski was “convinced” only by the generous and noble gift of all the silver vessels and cutlery used during the feast. The name under which the place is known today – Bielany – makes a reference to the characteristic whiteness (biel) of the monks’ habits, and is used also for their seat in Warsaw.

Construction on Silver Mountain was carried out in stages from 1609 to 1630 under the watchful eye of an eminent Italian architect Andrea Spezza. The stone façade supporting the proud towers is far broader than the body of the church itself, as it was designed to ensure an appropriate visual effect from afar. Its decoration – capped with a balustraded pediment – is Mannerist in character. The single-aisled interior of the church with barrel vaulting and the chancel enclosed in a straight wall with rows of chapels opening into the nave both have early baroque decoration. They were richly furnished in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The stucco decoration of the chapels under the tower from the workshop of Giovanni Battista Falconi (1642) and the altars designed by Francesco Placidi (1759-1763) are worthy of special attention. Two of the chapels, St Romuald’s Chapel and the Chapel Royal, are decorated with precious paintings by Tomasz Dolabella. The main altar is a neo-baroque replica of the previous one, destroyed by fire, and dating from the latter half of the 19th century. Its central piece portrays the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Michał Stachowicz (1814).

Camaldolese monks closely observe the strict rule of the order. They are obliged to do physical work, pray, make penance, and live the lives of hermits. The monks live in their own little huts, gathering together only for prayers, and for common meals only a few times a year. While they pray in the church, Camaldolese monks use neither organs nor any other musical instruments. They keep silence, speaking only when it is absolutely necessary, and in muffled voice. They are allowed a short chat only three times a week: on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. They refrain from meat, and during the 40 days of Lent also from dairy products and eggs. There is neither radio nor television in the monastery. There are no holidays or visiting the family. Five times a year, for recreational purposes, all the monks may leave the hermitage together and go for an excursion.

Only men are allowed in the church and monastery, moreover – only at certain times. Women are only allowed in the church in Bielany 12 times a year, on days prescribed by the liturgical calendar. They include:

• Easter Sunday
• Easter Monday
• 3rd May – Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland
• Sunday of Pentecost
• Monday following Pentecost
• Sunday following 19th June: holiday of St Romuald
• second Sunday of July
• fourth Sunday of July
• first Sunday of August
• 15th August: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• 8th September – Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• 25th December: Christmas Day