The best - known and mostly visited show place of Zagórz are the monumental ruins of the Monastery of Discalced Fathers Carmelites. The Monastery is well known by both - people living here and tourists; it is also a mysterious place, often mentioned in legends and stories. The ruins are standing on the steep hill watered by the river Osława. You can reach the Monastery taking the Klasztorna Street or Rzeczna Street; the ruins are located about 3 km from the center of Zagórz.
The interior of the Monastery, especially the gothic chapel, is covered up with fragmentary paintings of saints personages. The Monastery was founded by Franciszek Stadnicki in 1713. The monastery building included: a chapel, monastery cells, a hostel and a hospital for soldiers. The building was founded as a fortified structure. Unfortunately the Monastery burned down - first time in 1772 and in 1822 for the second time. So far it has not been reconstructed- although since the year 2000 the ruins became the communal ownership. Since that day all of citizens of Zagórz commune citizens have been trying to preserve the cultural heritage of the region, especially the ruined monastery - the one of a very few such monuments in Poland.
The history of monastery is strongly connected with a person of monster?s founder - Jan Franciszek Stadnicki. Mentioned magnate was a state official, and from 1697 held the office of Volhynia voivode. He possessed a large estate (e. g. Lesko). Before he died (that was in 1713), he passed down to the Carmelites certain funds for keeping in monastery hospital 12 veterans with a gentility background. The beginning of church and monastery foundation was probably the 7th August 1700. Although, the first charter of foundation hasn?t survived, we know for sure that the very first building works got off the ground at the beginning of XVIII century.
Inside 14 years after the beginning of the investment, in the newly built housing lived few monks, and the same year of 1714 there was celebrated a solemn introduction of the monastic order to the Monastery in Zagórz. Father Maksymilian from St. Thomas (Józef Franciszek ) was probably the first Father Superior of the monastery. Father Jan Kazimierz de Alten Bokum - bishop of Przemyśl, solemnized a ceremonial of inauguration. The ceremony was joined with the corner stone consecration, under church dedicated to the Holy Virgin Annunciation. After the end of the entire investment, that was even before 1730 there begun to raise a high ramparts.
In the process of enriching the newly built Church, very significant contribution had
a founder?s daughter. Anna Stadnicka who sacrified her jewellery and silvers for this respectable object. Unfortunately, the splendour of the monastery didn?t last too long. It burned down for the first time on 29th November. It was Russian solidier?s doing,under the command of Col. Drewitz. The army was besieging the monastery, where Bar?s confederates were hiding. After those dramatic events the monastery was rebuilded with a great difficulty, but it has never regained its previous splendour.
Anarchy and chaos that overcome the Polish Republic in the times of partitions, influenced very badly the morality of monks. An indirect reason of it was also the command of Austrian authorities, that imposed other Carmelites (e.g. from Przemyśl, Lvov,
Milatyn) to join the monastery in Zagórz. The most consciencious monks were seconded to ministrations in parishes of the Przemyśl diocese. With the time the crisis of monastic life became very serious, so that the special ecclesiasticaly - secular commission after
a penterating control of the monastery passed a decree impossing to reform it. Realizing the statements of the decree, bishop Gołaszewski, established a reformatory for priests in the monastery.
On the 26th November 1822 the monastery burned down for the second time - the roof of monastery and church were completely destroyed. A fire was started during a flare up between the Prior-Father Leonard Umański and Father Jan Włodzimierski. Father Włodzimierski was the one, who started the fire; he inconsiderately thrusted down a burning oily lamp on wooden floor. During the investigation submitted by Austrian authorities, the monk confessed his guilt and as a result he was arrested and transported to Lvov. Few monks died in burning monastery. There?s still somebody to remain us about this sad event...a monk?s ghost that from time to time haunts on monastery?s hill. The fire definitively confirmed a progressive decline of monastery.
As a result of Bishop Gołaszewski effort, the monastery in Zagórz was definitively liquidated in 1831. All of its possessions became a state property and replenished a religious fund. The reformatory acting at the monastery was passed to Przeworsk. In 1935 baron Adam Gubrynowicz gave the possession of the monastery to the theological seminary of Przemyśl.
After II World War, on 30th March 1957, the episcopal curia in Przemyśl decided to transfer the ruins to Discalced Fathers Carmelites. The decision was made together with another one: regional conservator of monuments permitted to rebuild the monastery. On the strenght of an decree of 23rd May 1957, passed by Carmelitan Province in Warsaw, there begun the works to rebuild the monastery and church in Zagórz.
In the same year, two priests moved to Zagórz: Father Józef from Carmel Mountain
(Jan Prus) and Father Wawrzyniec Rodkiewicz; they inhabited a primitive barrack made in
a hurry. Some time later, Father Aureliusz Balonek joined them. The three of them got into work with a great enthusiasm. The whole Zagórz society actively joined the works to rebuild the monastery.
During the archaeological research in 1965, there was discovered the entrance to monastery?s cellars, unfortunately for a long time devastated by thieves and adventures. The reliquiae of monks founded during excavations have been lumped together into a big case walled up in one of monastic crypts. During the excavations, there has been founded a family vault of the Ossoliński family, that had became a burial place of Teresa Ossolińska ? died on 6th may 1776 - the very last person of the Stadnicki house.
Thanks to a great enthusiasm of Carmelites, supported in different ways by local society, ruined monastery started to change its appearance. That?s how a big stony well has been cleared of rubble in the farming part of the monastery, the neighbourhood of church has been cleaned up, and they begun to patch up the roof of the presbytery. Unfortunately on 5th April 1962 Father Józef has passed away. This happened not that long after his journey to Canada and United States of America. The tireless monk was raising funds from the Polish living there to renovate the monastery.
