Article Courtesy OSV News:
The oldest Benedictine abbey in Poland is home to priceless cultural heritage pieces, such as the first music notes of Christmas carols ever recorded, but the sisters preserving the masterpieces lead a simple life — they grow tomatoes, make preserves and welcome guests, doing “what they can” to earn a living and maintain the vast monastery entrusted to their care.
For centuries, generations of Benedictine nuns have kept this place alive. Now, the small community faces a challenge that years of hard work cannot resolve.
“Here, simply ‘tightening our belts’ and denying ourselves many things is not enough,” Mother Stefania Polkowska, the abbess, told OSV News. “We cannot cope with this situation on our own. It truly is a crisis.”
The Abbey of St. Adalbert in Staniatki, founded in the early 13th century, is Poland’s oldest Benedictine convent, with a history stretching back eight centuries. Behind its walls are centuries-old manuscripts, sacred paintings, liturgical vestments and a remarkable collection of historical musical scores, including early Polish Christmas carols.
The Benedictine community has launched an urgent fundraising campaign to complete a major heritage preservation project by Dec. 31, 2026.
The monastery has survived foreign invasions, the partitions of Poland, two world wars and communist rule. Through it all, the Benedictine rhythm of prayer and work has continued. In 2018, the sisters began an ambitious undertaking called “Benedictine Heritage Cloisters,” intended to preserve their collections and make them accessible to the public. The project includes a museum, library, reading room and spaces for cultural and educational activities.
Many of the abbey’s most valuable objects have remained largely out of public view because the sisters have lacked suitable facilities to display and preserve them. “The project gives us the opportunity to show this enormous spiritual, religious, historical and cultural heritage, which is currently hidden within the walls of the monastery,” Mother Stefania told OSV News. “We want to show all of it.”
When the project began, its estimated cost was approximately $2.8 million. Almost $1.8 million came from European Union funds, while the sisters raised the required contribution through donations and their own efforts. Then the problems began.
“Already in the first stage of construction, problems arose, including water channels running through the construction site that had to be covered with special concrete structures,” Mother Stefania told OSV News. “This meant additional work and increased costs. There were many more situations like this.”
The unexpected complications forced changes to the construction plans and required additional approvals from the authorities. Before the sisters could overcome those setbacks, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, followed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Construction materials and labor became dramatically more expensive.
At the same time, the monastery opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees, providing shelter to women and children fleeing the war, with the help of volunteers. Despite the rising costs, the sisters continued construction, raising money through donations, their own work and the support of volunteers. By October of this year, the total cost had climbed to nearly $7.1 million, more than two and a half times the original estimate.
The project is now close to completion. Electrical and other installations are in place, walls have been plastered and some flooring has been laid. But finishing work, furniture, museum equipment and landscaping are still needed. The community had expected to have until February, and latest June 2027, to complete and settle the project. But an inspection in October revealed that the deadline was Dec. 31.
According to the abbey, there is no possibility of an extension. The consequences could be severe. The sisters say failure to complete the project on time would require repayment of the EU subsidy, a financial obligation they would struggle to meet.
Meanwhile, life inside the monastery must continue. The sisters are not only financing the new development. They are also maintaining a centuries-old complex that requires constant repairs. In recent years, they have restored the abbey’s church and renovated much of the monastery roof. Heating the buildings, paying for electricity and providing medical care for elderly sisters create significant expenses.
“Construction of the Benedictine Heritage Cloisters is an enormous burden for our community,” Mother Stefania told OSV News. “We have managed all this by obtaining external funds, but mainly throu
For centuries, generations of Benedictine nuns have kept this place alive. Now, the small community faces a challenge that years of hard work cannot resolve.
“Here, simply ‘tightening our belts’ and denying ourselves many things is not enough,” Mother Stefania Polkowska, the abbess, told OSV News. “We cannot cope with this situation on our own. It truly is a crisis.”
The Abbey of St. Adalbert in Staniatki, founded in the early 13th century, is Poland’s oldest Benedictine convent, with a history stretching back eight centuries. Behind its walls are centuries-old manuscripts, sacred paintings, liturgical vestments and a remarkable collection of historical musical scores, including early Polish Christmas carols.
Mother Stefania Polkowska, abbess of the Benedictine Abbey in Staniatki, is seen on the construction site on the abbey grounds in Staniatki, Poland, in an undated photo. The Benedictine community has launched an urgent fundraising campaign to complete a major heritage preservation project by Dec. 31, 2026. (OSV News photo/courtesy Benedictine Abbey in Staniatki)
The monastery has survived foreign invasions, the partitions of Poland, two world wars and communist rule. Through it all, the Benedictine rhythm of prayer and work has continued.
In 2018, the sisters began an ambitious undertaking called “Benedictine Heritage Cloisters,” intended to preserve their collections and make them accessible to the public. The project includes a museum, library, reading room and spaces for cultural and educational activities.
Many of the abbey’s most valuable objects have remained largely out of public view because the sisters have lacked suitable facilities to display and preserve them. “The project gives us the opportunity to show this enormous spiritual, religious, historical and cultural heritage, which is currently hidden within the walls of the monastery,” Mother Stefania told OSV News. “We want to show all of it.”
When the project began, its estimated cost was approximately $2.8 million. Almost $1.8 million came from European Union funds, while the sisters raised the required contribution through donations and their own efforts. Then the problems began.
“Already in the first stage of construction, problems arose, including water channels running through the construction site that had to be covered with special concrete structures,” Mother Stefania told OSV News. “This meant additional work and increased costs. There were many more situations like this.”
The unexpected complications forced changes to the construction plans and required additional approvals from the authorities. Before the sisters could overcome those setbacks, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, followed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Construction materials and labor became dramatically more expensive.
At the same time, the monastery opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees, providing shelter to women and children fleeing the war, with the help of volunteers. Despite the rising costs, the sisters continued construction, raising money through donations, their own work and the support of volunteers. By October of this year, the total cost had climbed to nearly $7.1 million, more than two and a half times the original estimate.
Dramatic search for remaining funds
The project is now close to completion. Electrical and other installations are in place, walls have been plastered and some flooring has been laid. But finishing work, furniture, museum equipment and landscaping are still needed. The community had expected to have until February, and latest June 2027, to complete and settle the project. But an inspection in October revealed that the deadline was Dec. 31.
According to the abbey, there is no possibility of an extension. The consequences could be severe. The sisters say failure to complete the project on time would require repayment of the EU subsidy, a financial obligation they would struggle to meet.
Meanwhile, life inside the monastery must continue. The sisters are not only financing the new development. They are also maintaining a centuries-old complex that requires constant repairs. In recent years, they have restored the abbey’s church and renovated much of the monastery roof. Heating the buildings, paying for electricity and providing medical care for elderly sisters create significant expenses.
“Construction of the Benedictine Heritage Cloisters is an enormous burden for our community,” Mother Stefania told OSV News. “We have managed all this by obtaining external funds, but mainly through our own work’.
