Basilica and Sanctuary of St Hedwig in Trzebnica

The Basilica and Sanctuary of St. Hedwig in Trzebnica (say "tsheb-NEE-tsah") is Silesia's oldest shrine and the resting place of St. Hedwig of Silesia, patron saint of the region. A Romanesque brick church from the early 13th century, the first entirely Gothic building in Poland, and lavish Baroque furnishings come together just 25 km north of Wrocław. Next door, the former Cistercian convent – the first community of nuns in Poland – offers a museum and guided tours.

Where it is and how to get there

Trzebnica lies about 25 km north of Wrocław, whose airport is the closest international gateway. Regional trains run from Wrocław roughly every hour on a scenic line through wooded hills; from Trzebnica station it is about 1 km (a 10–12-minute walk) to the sanctuary. By car, take the S5 expressway. Free parking for cars is next to the sanctuary, and coaches park on ul. Henryka Brodatego.

A short history

Duke Henry I the Bearded founded the convent in 1202 at the urging of his wife, Hedwig, a noblewoman from the Bavarian house of Andechs. Cistercian nuns arrived from Bamberg on January 22, 1203. Between 1208 and 1219 they built a three-aisled brick church, 80.4 m long – one of the first brick churches in Poland. Hedwig died in 1243 and was canonized in 1267; her remains were then placed in a new chapel built in 1268–1269, the first purely Gothic building in Poland.

The church became a mausoleum of the Silesian Piast dynasty, with 22 members buried here, including Henry the Bearded. It was richly remodeled in the Baroque era: her marble tomb dates from 1680, and the high altar and pulpit by Franz Joseph Mangoldt from 1739–1745. Prussia dissolved the convent in 1810; since 1889 it has been home to the Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo. In 2014, the former Cistercian convent complex was named a Monument of History – the highest national heritage designation in Poland.

Who was St. Hedwig?

Hedwig was born around 1178–1180 at Andechs Castle in Bavaria and married the Silesian duke Henry at the age of twelve. She was the mother of Duke Henry II the Pious and the aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She is remembered for founding churches and caring for the poor and sick; according to tradition she walked barefoot even in winter, and when told to wear shoes, she carried them over her shoulder – which is why she is often depicted holding a pair of shoes. In 1680, at the request of King John III Sobieski among others, Pope Innocent XI extended her feast to the whole Church. The Borromean sisters still run a soup kitchen for the poor at the convent, named "St. Hedwig's Sixth Table."

Things to see

• St. Hedwig's tomb – black and pink marble beneath a canopy, with an alabaster figure of the saint holding a model church (added in 1750).
• Henry the Bearded's sarcophagus (1685) in the chancel.
• Romanesque portals with carved tympana, including King David playing the harp (around 1218–1230).
• St. Bartholomew's crypt (1214), with a lapidarium of Romanesque fragments.
• Baroque altars and paintings associated with Michael Willmann, the leading painter of the Silesian Baroque.

Tickets and opening hours

As of October 2026:

• The basilica – free entry; visit outside Mass times.
• The convent is open daily 7:00–19:00; its café opens Tuesday–Sunday 11:00–19:00.
• The convent museum – guided visits Tuesday–Sunday at 11:00, 12:00, 13:30 and 14:30 (30–45 minutes); tickets 20 PLN, reduced 15 PLN. Phone +48 513 306 188.
• Convent tours – for groups by arrangement; individual tours once a month (dates posted on the convent's Facebook page). Tickets 35 PLN, reduced 25 PLN. Guides also tell the story of the convent hospital, where a pioneering hand replantation was performed on October 21, 1971.
• Convent contact: +48 510 993 889, kontakt@klasztortrzebnica.pl.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes – Trzebnica is an easy half-day trip from Wrocław and one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Silesia. Allow an hour for the basilica and crypt, or 2–3 hours with the museum. The busiest time is around October 16, St. Hedwig's feast day, when a walking pilgrimage arrives from Wrocław. Winter hours stay the same, but the church is cold. Afterwards, walk up to the 18th-century Calvary on the hills around the basilica, which includes a Lourdes grotto from the 1920s.