St. Sigismund’s Church
St. Sigismund's Church was originally a branch of the parish church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother of God on Jasna Góra. In 1382, when Duke Władysław Opolczyk settled the Pauline Order on Jasna Góra hill, St. Sigismund's church (probably built around 1350) became a parish church and its parson was Henryk Biel of Błeszno coat of arms Ostoja. In 1474, St. Sigismund's parish, along with its entire possessions, was transferred to the administration of the Pauline Fathers of Jasna Góra, who built a monastery next to the church. The church was originally wooden. It was not until the records of the visitation of 1598 that it is reported to have been built of brick and well furnished.
However, this former Gothic church, single-nave with a two-bay chancel, was built in stages, as archaeological research indicates. It had four brick altars, a tower with two bells and a ridge turret with a third bell. On the southern side, directly behind the walls of Częstochowa, in front of St. Sigismund's Church, there was a cemetery, which over time was surrounded by a wall. Later, the Holy Cross Chapel was built on it. It was expanded in the second quarter of the 17th century. In 1642, St. Anne's Chapel was erected on the north side. In the years 1640–1647, a sacristy was also built on the north side. The church was burnt in 1505, 1519 and 1655, i.e. during the Swedish Deluge, after having been plundered earlier.
