Previous Page	Konitz Churches
The Konitz church history is long and complicated. This section is an attempt to summarize it, but additional work could be done to further expand and clarify it. In 1205 Sambor The First funded a parish church built of wood that was assigned the name, Saint Jan Ścięć. Due to the importance of Konitz as a socio-economic center of the district, it was decided in 1340 to replace it with a new brick church together with city fortifications, including the moat, ramparts, towers, and gates. The church was built using the elements of Pomeranian Gothic style of red brick on a foundation of granite boulders. A splendorous ceiling was in the form of arches; and on the sides of the church were two Dorengowski and Maria Magdalena chapels. Before the Reformation, the church had 10 priests with members of the religious society of Our Lady Mary Immaculate also attached to the church. It lost its splendor under the custody of Lutheran Evangelists who used its premises almost 60 years. As the inscription in the church says: “ Templum hoc a secta Lutheri a. 1555 occnpatum, reeuperatum a catholicis a. 1616." Stanislaw Latalski, chief of the Schlochau district had been supporter of Protestants in the area. Dorengowski, the judge of Dirschaw (Tczew), took back the custody of the church from Protestants in 1616. Jesuits came to Konitz in 1620 founded by two Dorengowski brothers who contributed substantial land properties and financial support. The first, Jan who was the head of the church court of Dirschaw and the rector of the Konitz parish, and the other who was the judge of Dirschaw and after his death was buried near the Konitz parish church. A fire set by Swedes in 1657 damaged the beautiful ceiling in the nave of the church. Another fire, set by Protestants in 1733 destroyed the ceiling in the presbytery. The church was again damaged in the 1945. Over time the interior of the church was not preserved.
Today the church is called: Beheading of St. John the Baptist in Chojnice On March 11, 1993 Pope John Paul II gave it the Title Minor Basilica.
On the Schlochau suburbs, the Teutonic Knights founded the presbytery named the Holly Spirit. In 1956 Swedes burned down the presbytery. It was rebuilt and used by Protestants as their church. The second presbytery was called the by the name of Saint Jerzy was founded by the Teutonic Knights. From 1555 till 1616 the presbytery was in the hand of the Protestants, then later in the later in the Catholics custody. In 1656, Swedes burned it down. It was never rebuild again. The school organized by Jesuits in Konitz received college status from archbishop Wężyk in 1630. In the college, the sons of the noblemen from the Konitz area studied. The residence for seven poor students, founded by Dorengowski brothers, was setup near the college. In 1718, after cessation of the Jesuits Order, their beautiful church and monastery was changed into a catholic high school (gymnasium). The Augustinians monastery was established in Konitz in 1265, during the reign of Pomerania Princes. The monastery almost ceased to exist in the later period of wars and instability. In 1358, the monastery was renewed and financially supported by the Grand Master Winryk von Kniprode who in his document states that the islet called “Mönchswerder” became the property of the Augustinian fathers. The Augustinians by their own choice lived in very poor and hermitic condition. Like Jesuits, Augustinians in Konitz were Poles. The local population liked them very much. The icon of Our Lady of Consolation in the Augustinians monastery was famous for having God’s grace and was a purpose of pilgrimage of thousands people. The government of Prussia closed the monastery in 1819 and changed it into residence for poor high school students and the teacher of religion. Later, when Prussian government attitude towards religious orders had improved, the St. Francis sisters abbey was established where 12 sisters who came from Capellen in the Netherlands to lead their religious convocation. They were German women. They established the high school with bursary for girls, hospital, sewing manufacture and elementary school for the town girls. The sisters visited local sick people in their homes frequently. As a result of the political struggle so called “Kulturkampf”, Prussian authorities expelled the St. Francis sisters in 1875.