Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Henry the Bearded

The history of Opole dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries. The territory is politically disputed. Around 990 Silesia, together with the territory of Opole, was annexed by Mieszko I to the Polish state. In 1039 Břetislav I reconquered the territory for eleven years, after which Opole reverted to Bohemia. In 1050, Casimir I reconquered Silesia. It became a Polish duchy in 1172 and received city rights from Duke Casimir I of Opole in 1217. Opole was a center of trade. Several trade routes crossed here, which helped to make profits from transit trade. After the death of King Ludvík II Silesia was inherited by Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, placing Opole under the sovereignty of the Habsburg monarchy of Austria. The Habsburgs took control of the region in 1532 but pawned the duchy to different rulers including several monarchs of Poland. In 1615, a fire destroyed all the houses within the city walls. After the Swedish invasion of Poland, in 1655 John II Casimir Vasa stayed with his court here. In November of that year, the "Uniwersał opolski" was issued here by the King, calling for Poles to rise against the Swedes. After 1668 the region passed again to the control of the Habsburgs. Frederick II of Prussia conquered most of Silesia from Austria in 1740 during the Silesian Wars. Under Prussian rule, the ethnic structure of the city began to change and a kind of "Germanization" set in. Nevertheless, Opole remained an important cultural, social and political center for the Poles in Upper Silesia. In the course of German unification in 1871 Opole became part of the German Empire. After WWI, a referendum was held with the result that Silesia remained part of the German Reich. After the end of WWII in 1945, Oppeln was transferred from Germany to Poland and the name changed from Oppeln to Opole. The Franciscans came to Opole at the beginning of the 13th century. The existence of the monastery is documented for 1248. The wooden church of the monastery burned down in 1307. A short time later the church was rebuilt in Gothic style. The tower was added in the 15th century. The interior is largely Baroque and the gables are Renaissance style. The church also served as a castle church, as the Piast castle was located in the immediate vicinity. The Chapel of St. Anne (aka "Piast Chapel") is located in the southern nave of the church. The chapel was built by the Opole Piast Bolko I in 1309. Here are the tombs of Bolko I, Bolko II, and Bolko III, as well as his wife Anna. On the folding altar, you can see St. Anne, Vladislaus II, the founder of the monastery, St. Barbara, and St. Hedwig, the wife of Henry the Bearded.

A legend attributes Kraków's founding to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a dragon, Smok Wawelski. The first written record dates to 965, when Kraków was described as a notable commercial center captured by a Bohemian duke Boleslaus I in 955. The first ruler of Poland, Mieszko I, took Kraków from the Bohemians. In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a center of trade. Brick buildings were constructed, including the Royal Wawel Castle. The city was sacked and burned during the Mongol invasion of 1241. It was rebuilt and incorporated in 1257 by Bolesław V the Chaste who introduced city rights. In 1259, the city was again ravaged by the Mongols. The third attack in 1287 was repelled thanks in part to the newly built fortifications. The city rose to prominence in 1364, when Casimir III founded the University of Kraków, the second oldest university in central Europe. But after Casimir´s death in 1370 the campus did not get completed. As the capital of the Kingdom of Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League, the city attracted craftsmen from abroad, guilds as science and the arts began to flourish. The 15th and 16th centuries are known as Poland's "Złoty Wiek" (Golden Age). After childless King Sigismund II had died in 1572, the Polish throne passed to Henry III of France and then to other foreign-based rulers in rapid succession, causing a decline in the city's importance that was worsened by pillaging during the Swedish invasion and by an outbreak of bubonic plague that left 20,000 of the city's residents dead. In 1596, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa moved the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Kraków to Warsaw. - There is no consensus about the church's founder of the church, which belongs to the Monastery of the Franciscan Order. It may have been founded by Duke Henry II the Pious (+ 1241), son of Prince Henry the Bearded (+ 1238), or Duke Bolesław V the Chaste (+ 1279) with his wife St. Kinga (+ 1292). The church was one of the first tall brick-and-sandstone buildings in the city. The original 13th-century Gothic structure was consecrated before 1269 and expanded in 1260–70. The cross-shaped central part with nave arcades was added around 1420–36, giving the church a shape of a Greek cross. The expansion was re-consecrated in 1436. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the adjacent Monastery experienced the most destructive fire only in1850 when many artifacts were lost. In the cloister is the tomb auf Angela Salawa. Angela Salawa was born in 1881 in a village near Krakow. She was a mystic who became a member of the Secular Franciscan Order and worked in hospitals throughout World War I. She later became sick due to working alongside the sick and died in 1922. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1991.

A legend attributes Kraków's founding to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a dragon, Smok Wawelski. The first written record dates to 965, when Kraków was described as a notable commercial center captured by a Bohemian duke Boleslaus I in 955. The first ruler of Poland, Mieszko I, took Kraków from the Bohemians. In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a center of trade. Brick buildings were constructed, including the Royal Wawel Castle. The city was sacked and burned during the Mongol invasion of 1241. It was rebuilt and incorporated in 1257 by Bolesław V the Chaste who introduced city rights. In 1259, the city was again ravaged by the Mongols. The third attack in 1287 was repelled thanks in part to the newly built fortifications. The city rose to prominence in 1364, when Casimir III founded the University of Kraków, the second oldest university in central Europe. But after Casimir´s death in 1370 the campus did not get completed. As the capital of the Kingdom of Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League, the city attracted craftsmen from abroad, guilds as science and the arts began to flourish. The 15th and 16th centuries are known as Poland's "Złoty Wiek" (Golden Age). After childless King Sigismund II had died in 1572, the Polish throne passed to Henry III of France and then to other foreign-based rulers in rapid succession, causing a decline in the city's importance that was worsened by pillaging during the Swedish invasion and by an outbreak of bubonic plague that left 20,000 of the city's residents dead. In 1596, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa moved the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Kraków to Warsaw. - There is no consensus about the church's founder of the church, which belongs to the Monastery of the Franciscan Order. It may have been founded by Duke Henry II the Pious (+ 1241), son of Prince Henry the Bearded (+ 1238), or Duke Bolesław V the Chaste (+ 1279) with his wife St. Kinga (+ 1292). The church was one of the first tall brick-and-sandstone buildings in the city. The original 13th-century Gothic structure was consecrated before 1269 and expanded in 1260–70. The cross-shaped central part with nave arcades was added around 1420–36, giving the church a shape of a Greek cross. The expansion was re-consecrated in 1436. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the adjacent Monastery experienced the most destructive fire only in1850 when many artifacts were lost. The cloister adjoins the church

A legend attributes Kraków's founding to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a dragon, Smok Wawelski. The first written record dates to 965, when Kraków was described as a notable commercial center captured by a Bohemian duke Boleslaus I in 955. The first ruler of Poland, Mieszko I, took Kraków from the Bohemians. In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a center of trade. Brick buildings were constructed, including the Royal Wawel Castle. The city was sacked and burned during the Mongol invasion of 1241. It was rebuilt and incorporated in 1257 by Bolesław V the Chaste who introduced city rights. In 1259, the city was again ravaged by the Mongols. The third attack in 1287 was repelled thanks in part to the newly built fortifications. The city rose to prominence in 1364, when Casimir III founded the University of Kraków, the second oldest university in central Europe. But after Casimir´s death in 1370 the campus did not get completed. As the capital of the Kingdom of Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League, the city attracted craftsmen from abroad, guilds as science and the arts began to flourish. The 15th and 16th centuries are known as Poland's "Złoty Wiek" (Golden Age). After childless King Sigismund II had died in 1572, the Polish throne passed to Henry III of France and then to other foreign-based rulers in rapid succession, causing a decline in the city's importance that was worsened by pillaging during the Swedish invasion and by an outbreak of bubonic plague that left 20,000 of the city's residents dead. In 1596, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa moved the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Kraków to Warsaw. - There is no consensus about the church's founder of the church, which belongs to the Monastery of the Franciscan Order. It may have been founded by Duke Henry II the Pious (+ 1241), son of Prince Henry the Bearded (+ 1238), or Duke Bolesław V the Chaste (+ 1279) with his wife St. Kinga (+ 1292). The church was one of the first tall brick-and-sandstone buildings in the city. The original 13th-century Gothic structure was consecrated before 1269 and expanded in 1260–70. The cross-shaped central part with nave arcades was added around 1420–36, giving the church a shape of a Greek cross. The expansion was re-consecrated in 1436. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the adjacent Monastery experienced the most destructive fire only in1850 when many artifacts were lost. Large parts of the nave and apse were under renovation.

A legend attributes Kraków's founding to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a dragon, Smok Wawelski. The first written record dates to 965, when Kraków was described as a notable commercial center captured by a Bohemian duke Boleslaus I in 955. The first ruler of Poland, Mieszko I, took Kraków from the Bohemians. In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a center of trade. Brick buildings were constructed, including the Royal Wawel Castle. The city was sacked and burned during the Mongol invasion of 1241. It was rebuilt and incorporated in 1257 by Bolesław V the Chaste who introduced city rights. In 1259, the city was again ravaged by the Mongols. The third attack in 1287 was repelled thanks in part to the newly built fortifications. The city rose to prominence in 1364, when Casimir III founded the University of Kraków, the second oldest university in central Europe. But after Casimir´s death in 1370 the campus did not get completed. As the capital of the Kingdom of Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League, the city attracted craftsmen from abroad, guilds as science and the arts began to flourish. The 15th and 16th centuries are known as Poland's "Złoty Wiek" (Golden Age). After childless King Sigismund II had died in 1572, the Polish throne passed to Henry III of France and then to other foreign-based rulers in rapid succession, causing a decline in the city's importance that was worsened by pillaging during the Swedish invasion and by an outbreak of bubonic plague that left 20,000 of the city's residents dead. In 1596, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa moved the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Kraków to Warsaw. - There is no consensus about the church's founder of the church, which belongs to the Monastery of the Franciscan Order. It may have been founded by Duke Henry II the Pious (+ 1241), son of Prince Henry the Bearded (+ 1238), or Duke Bolesław V the Chaste (+ 1279) with his wife St. Kinga (+ 1292). The church was one of the first tall brick-and-sandstone buildings in the city. The original 13th-century Gothic structure was consecrated before 1269 and expanded in 1260–70. The cross-shaped central part with nave arcades was added around 1420–36, giving the church a shape of a Greek cross. The expansion was re-consecrated in 1436. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the adjacent Monastery experienced the most destructive fire only in1850 when many artifacts were lost. Saint Maximilian Kolbe was a monk here in 1919.

A legend attributes Kraków's founding to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a dragon, Smok Wawelski. The first written record dates to 965, when Kraków was described as a notable commercial center captured by a Bohemian duke Boleslaus I in 955. The first ruler of Poland, Mieszko I, took Kraków from the Bohemians. In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a center of trade. Brick buildings were constructed, including the Royal Wawel Castle. The city was sacked and burned during the Mongol invasion of 1241. It was rebuilt and incorporated in 1257 by Bolesław V the Chaste who introduced city rights. In 1259, the city was again ravaged by the Mongols. The third attack in 1287 was repelled thanks in part to the newly built fortifications. The city rose to prominence in 1364, when Casimir III founded the University of Kraków, the second oldest university in central Europe. But after Casimir´s death in 1370 the campus did not get completed. As the capital of the Kingdom of Poland and a member of the Hanseatic League, the city attracted craftsmen from abroad, guilds as science and the arts began to flourish. The 15th and 16th centuries are known as Poland's "Złoty Wiek" (Golden Age). After childless King Sigismund II had died in 1572, the Polish throne passed to Henry III of France and then to other foreign-based rulers in rapid succession, causing a decline in the city's importance that was worsened by pillaging during the Swedish invasion and by an outbreak of bubonic plague that left 20,000 of the city's residents dead. In 1596, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa moved the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Kraków to Warsaw. - There is no consensus about the church's founder of the church, which belongs to the Monastery of the Franciscan Order. It may have been founded by Duke Henry II the Pious (+ 1241), son of Prince Henry the Bearded (+ 1238), or Duke Bolesław V the Chaste (+ 1279) with his wife St. Kinga (+ 1292). The church was one of the first tall brick-and-sandstone buildings in the city. The original 13th-century Gothic structure was consecrated before 1269 and expanded in 1260–70. The cross-shaped central part with nave arcades was added around 1420–36, giving the church a shape of a Greek cross. The expansion was re-consecrated in 1436. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the adjacent Monastery experienced the most destructive fire only in1850 when many artifacts were lost. Saint Maximilian Kolbe was a monk here in 1919.