Paradyż Cistercian Abbey

Paradyż Cistercian Abbey (say "PAH-rah-dish"; officially Gościkowo-Paradyż) is a medieval monastery in western Poland and the largest, best-preserved abbey complex in the Lubuskie region. A Gothic church with a lavish Baroque interior, two cloister courtyards and monastic gardens with a pond and 18th-century statues of saints make it live up to its name — Paradisus Sanctae Mariae, "Paradise of the Virgin Mary". It sits between Zielona Góra and Gorzów Wielkopolski, within easy reach of Berlin, which makes it a rewarding stop for travelers crossing from Germany.

History in brief

The abbey was founded in 1230 by Mikołaj Bronisz, voivode (governor) of Poznań. Around 1236 Cistercian monks arrived from Lehnin in Brandenburg and named the place Paradisus. The Gothic church of the Assumption and St. Martin was built around 1270–1290; after fires it received its Baroque furnishings, completed in the 18th century together with its two towers.

The Prussian authorities dissolved the abbey in 1834. Its buildings then housed a teacher-training college, after World War II a Salesian school, and from the late 1950s the Catholic diocesan seminary. On August 15, 2020, the church became a sanctuary of Our Lady, Educator of Priestly Vocations.

Since December 2017 the former Cistercian complex has been a Monument of History — the highest national heritage designation in Poland, granted by presidential decree.

What to see

• The church — Gothic vaults and surviving medieval frescoes, with a Baroque high altar from 1739 featuring a painting by Felix Anton Scheffler, and a Baroque organ case.
• Our Lady of Paradyż — a 17th-century copy of the revered icon from the Basilica of San Luca in Bologna.
• The small cloister with Gothic bays and wall paintings, and the Baroque great cloister.
• The Paradyż Museum — early printed books, liturgical manuscripts, monstrances and paintings.
• The gardens — a pond with a footbridge, tree-lined walks and Rococo statues from 1755.

Visiting: hours, tours and winter

The church can only be visited with a guide, with tours starting on the hour. As of October 2026, according to the sanctuary:

• September–October: Monday–Saturday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Sunday 1:00–5:00 p.m.
• Winter (from November 1): Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.; no weekend tours are listed
• Summer: daily 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Sunday Mass is at noon. No price list is published online; ask at the gate (tel. +48 605 401 614). If you need a tour in English, ask the sanctuary in advance by e-mail (sanktuarium@paradisus.pl). In winter, come on a weekday morning: the last tour starts at 2:00 p.m.

How to get there

The address is Gościkowo 3, 66-200 Świebodzin. The abbey lies near the road between Zielona Góra and Gorzów Wielkopolski, close to the S3 expressway. From Berlin, take the motorway to Frankfurt (Oder) and continue on the Polish A2 toward Świebodzin. A car is by far the easiest option, as Gościkowo is a small village. The nearest airport is Zielona Góra-Babimost; Poznań and Berlin have more connections.

Is it worth visiting?

If you enjoy quiet monasteries, Gothic architecture and Baroque art away from the crowds, yes — and it pairs well with the giant Christ the King statue in nearby Świebodzin or the tunnels of the Międzyrzecz Fortified Region, built by Germany in the 1930s.