MARIANS IN 1670-1788 66 stones, placed at a greater depth; more solid craft.”32 Teixeira recalled that the Cenacle walls were adorned with frescoes and paintings “which accurately depicted the Mysteries that took place in the Lord’s Upper Room; in their splendor, appearance and perfection those images befitted the House of God so much sanctified and venerated.”33 However, as reported by Oskar Flatt, both monasteries had already fallen into ruin by 1854. The walls saw frescoes and paintings peeling off. The flooding and moisture, which plagued the Cenacle, proved to be a destructive force that the Marian Fathers couldn’t contend with. General Chapters repeatedly called for the preservation of the church, especially the tomb of the Founder, which was replaced six times in the 18th century, and six times efforts had to be made to obtain permission for the exhumation of Father Papczyński’s remains. The number of members in the monastery changed like a kaleidoscope and depended on the condition of the buildings. In 1760, there probably wasn’t any Marian Father living in the Cenacle, as the General Chapter that year obligated the superior general to appoint one Marian to be the guardian of the relics of Fr. Stanislaus and the confessor of the Dominican sisters.34 There were years when only one religious resided in Wieczernik, but their number significantly increased after renovations. Sometimes, albeit briefly, there were even a dozen or more of them. In 1776, the convent had twelve brethren, and the auditors noted that it was in great poverty and that “the resources of residing priests came only through Divine Providence, ex pura elleemosina and services they rendered in parish churches. Therefore, they testified that the monastery was unable to pay taxes.”35 The highest number of Marians, sixteen of them including fathers, clerics, and brothers, resided in the Cenacle in 1782. In 1795, after the third partition of Poland, Góra came under Prussian rule. The hostile policies of this government contributed to the decline of the Passion Sanctuary in New Jerusalem and worsened the situation 32 Eugeniusz Makulski, Dziedzictwo, p. 59. 33 Teixeira, n. 59. 34 Cap. Gen., 1760/11. The decree stated: “Recommendatur A. R. Patri Praeposito Generali, ut aliquis Pater qualificatus maneat Górae propter custodiam corporis Venerabilis Patris Institutoris, tum ut idem sit cconfessarius monialium.” 35 Dokumenty mariańskie, pp. 105-106; cf. ASV, Arch. Nunt. Varsaviae, vol. 120, fol. 32. Synopsis Domorum ac Religiosorum Ordinis Marianorum, die 19 Decembris 1773.
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