The Calvary of Wejherowo
was the fourth Calvary founded in the Noble's Polish Republic
times right after the Zebrzydowska's, Pakoska's and Żmudzińska's
Calvaries. The main founder and initiator of its creation
was voivode of Malbork Jakub Wejher.
Wejher started the efforts for the permission of church authorities probably
along with the location of Wejherowska Wola, later known as Wejherowo. The voivode
was supported by Pomeranian archdeacon Jan Mateusz Judycki and Oliwa's Cistercian
abbot Aleksander Kęsowski. It was one of the Cistercians Robert from Werden
who measured the distance between the stations of future Calvary basing on the
actual measurement of Christ's route in Jerusalem and he also signed the locations
of future chapels with crosses. According to the local measurement tradition
of the Christ's route he made personally visiting Jerusalem which due to some
historians it was supported on the groundings of 16th Century researcher Krystian
Ardichomius.
One of the elements heading to the construction of Calvary
was the fact of fetching to Wejherowo the convent of Stricter
Observation Franciscans. The fact is that the main task of
the reformers was based on widening the Catholic faith mainly
by means of education; however in Wejher's mind monks were
to take care of the future Calvary.
As soon as włocławsky's and Pomeranian biskhop M. A. Gniwosz
from Aleksandrowo allowed for building the calvary (9 June
1649) the works were started at once. The founders were not
only J. Wejher but also his family members, co-workers and
voivode's friends: Archdeacon Jan Mateusz Judycki, Abbot
Aleksander Kęsowski and Wejher's courtiers. The intensive
works were interrupted by Swedish invasion; therefore the
construction of 24 Calvary's chapels had lasted up till 1666.
The indicator, Jan Wejher, who funded 11 chapels, had already
been dead; however his patronage was still lasting. Facing
the Swedish danger voivode transferred the most of the deposit
to the town Frydląd (Debrzno now) with the intention of Calvary's
maintenance. The interests were paid to the Franciscans who
took care of Calvary till the end of 17 Th century. |
  It
was not long for the Church to appreciate the value of the
Calvary which was on the area of strong Reformation influence
(most of the Pomeranians were Protestants). That is why at
Jakub Wejher's request the pope Aleksander VII in 1661 issued
the papal bull which granted plenary indulgence for 10 years
for Calvary's pilgrims. As the number of the pilgrims was
still growing, papal privilege was renewed up till 1717 when
the Holy Congregation of Indulgences and Relicts decided
to grant the plenary indulgence forever. In that year Franciscans
started publishing Calvarias prayer books for pilgrims-first
in Polish and then also in German.
After Wejher the patrons of Calvary were invariably the
consecutive town owners. In the mid 18 th century Przebendowscy
restored some chapels and built Oliwa's Gate next to which
the pilgrims were welcomed. The next refurbishment of Calvary
was commissioned in the second half of 19th Century in Keyserlingków.
It was the time when few baroque chapels were sheltered with
nogging casing and in the place of the most destructed Chapel
on Cedron the new one was built.
Calvary of Wejherowo as a strong unit of Catholic faith
and polishness was devastated to great extend by Nazi during
the Second World War The renovation which took place in the
50s was general and mainly was devoted to reproduction and
restocking of the destructed by Germans decoration. As the
precious monument not only for the spiritual meaning was
in the state of destruction the authorities of Wejherowo
in 2004 initiated trials to be granted funds from EU for
the reconstruction and modernization of Calvary.2005 was
crucial as the town was granted with the 10.3 mln zl allocation
for the project ‘Preservation and availability of Pomeranian
heritage by means of Cultural Park creation in Wejherowo.'
In the framework of this project realization in 2006 the
refurbishment of calvarias' chapels was started. |
