St. Hyacinth's Church is part of the Dominican Monastery complex, whose buildings occupy an entire city block. Hyacinth is one of the patron saints of Poland, although the Poles themselves call him differently – Saint Jacek.
The largest monastery in Warsaw was founded in 1603, and construction of the church began at the same time. The building work dragged on because of plague outbreaks and other troubles, and was completed only in 1639.
In the second half of the 17th century, Warsaw was captured by the Swedes, who looted and burned most of the city's buildings, including this monastery. In 1662 the monastic complex was rebuilt, and a tall bell tower was erected in front of the church.
The 18th century became the golden age of the church: the greatest collection of books in the Polish language was assembled here, which unfortunately was later destroyed.
During the Second World War, the monastery housed a hospital for the Warsaw Uprising army, which made it a target for fierce German bombing. The church was badly damaged by explosions and fires. In the 1950s the monastery underwent a modest reconstruction – as much as finances and the Soviet authorities allowed.
Later, the facade of the church was restored in the Baroque spirit, but its interior is done in a modern style, since almost all the antique decorations perished during the war. Of the surviving relics from the early 17th century, only noble tombstones in the Polish Mannerist style and a chapel with the church's main treasure remain here: an 18th-century statue and an altar made of black marble.
