Saturday, January 19, 2008

Tyniec Abbey

The Benedictine Abbey at Tyniec

In stark contrast to the ultra-modern Arka Pana church in the suburb of Nowa Huta, this Benedictine abbey in the little village of Tyniec a few miles southwest of Krakow was rebuilt after the Tatars detroyed it in 1240. The original Romanesque abbey was remodelled in Gothic style and defensive walls were added.



We had tried to visit here last fall, when a walk along the Wisla riverbank would have been delightful (and supposedly offer a nice view of the limestone cliffs on which the abbey is built). However, we couldn't find the bus stop for the #112 that goes here. Then the weather turned cold. Armed with better information, we tried again this weekend and - though we didn't walk along the river - had a nice little hike up to the abbey, where they are busy with renovations. After a leisurely walk around the grounds (no crowds this time of year) and a peek into the church's Baroque interior (including a pulpit in the shape of a ship's prow and heavy on the gold trim), we stopped at their little store to buy some of the wonderful jams made by the monks (cherries and rum, 'fruits of the forest' with vodka, black currant). John was disappointed that they didn't sell Benedictine there, though they did have different kids of beer and mead (made from fermented honey).


The pulpit in the Tyniec abbey church



Another delightful afternoon excursion!

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