Szlaki województw śląskiego i opolskiego

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Opole, commonly called the Franciscan church, is one of the most important historic sites in Opole. The first Gothic masonry temple was built at the modern Freedom Square by the Franciscan order in the 13th century. The current body is the result of reconstruction carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries after destruction in the Thirty Years' War and numerous fires. During the renovation of the edifice, elements of Mannerism and Baroque were introduced into its Gothic architecture. Under the presbytery – the oldest part of the church – there is a burial crypt, in which dukes and monks from the Opole convent were buried. Resting in the underground are, among others, Władysław II Opolczyk, the founder of the Jasna Góra Sanctuary, and Duchess Elizabeth, granddaughter of King Władysław the Elbow-high. One can also see there the oldest preserved Early Gothic colorful fresco in Silesian lands from 1320 depicting the Calvary of the passion of the Lord Jesus together with his Mother and St. John. In the times of the Swedish Deluge, in the years 1655-1656, the chancellery of King John Casimir officiated in the monastery adjacent to the church, and in the monastery refectory on November 30, 1655, a royal universal was announced calling the Polish nation to an uprising against the occupier. During renovation works next to the church, under the paving stones with the coat of arms of Opole, graves were discovered. They probably belong to Russian soldiers from the period of the Napoleonic Wars, when a field hospital operated in the church. Practical information: The church along with the Chapel of Our Lady of Częstochowa is made available to visitors from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM, and on Sundays after the mass at 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM. The basements are made available to unorganized groups from Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, after prior notification at the monastery gate with a minimum of 3 days' notice (tel. +48 77 453 13 82, klasztor@opole.franciszkanie.pl). It is possible to visit the entire church complex with a guide for a voluntary offering.