Founded by Kazimierz the Restorer in 1047, the Benedictine Abbey at Mogilno helped to restore the Archbishopric of Gniezno and, after getting involved in the Christianization of Mazovia, assisted in the creation of the Bishopric of Płock in 1075-1076. As soon as the new religion and church structures took root in Wielkopolska and Mazovia, the monks of Mogilno turned their attention to Pomerania and Prussia. However, to launch effective missionary activities further in the field, it was necessary, first, to consolidate the church structures in Kujawy, and second, to strengthen the Mogilno convent and to have its provostries set up in Kujawy. The strategically situated outposts were to function as back-up bases for missionaries who were working in Pomerania and, possibly, later in Prussia. As a result, the Mogilno monks supported the creation of a bishopric at Kruszwica/Włocławek, set up a provostry at St. John the Baptist’s church at Włocławek as well as a hospital provostry, a sub-branch of the former, at St. Gotard’s near Włocławek (the place later came to be known as Szpetal). Meanwhile, Mogilno was building up its potential. The abbots established contacts with Otto of Bamberg and St. Michael’s Abbey at Bamberg and adopted the Hirsaug reforms of monastic observance. Faced with a renewed threat of Prussian raids and an escalating conflict with Władysław Spindleshanks, Duke of Wielkopolska, the Benedictines abandoned their Szpetal outpost at the beginning of the 13th century. In the late 1230s, the place was taken over by the Cistercians; it did not take long, however, before their abbey fell into ruin after two devastating Prussian raids (1242-1243). Seeing that the Cistercians made no haste to rebuild the abbey, its founder, the Mazovian Voivod Bogusza decided to hand over St. Gotard’s and the hospital to the Benedictines from St. John the Baptist’s provostry at Włocławek. Yet the spirited resistance of the Cistercians resulted in the Benedictines’ renunciation of any claim to Szpetal for good. The efforts to restore the Cistercian presence at Szpetal were unsuccessful and the abbey was definitely closed down in 1285. Its lands were taken over by Byszewo Abbey. The gradual folding down of Mogilno’s missionary activity in the second half of the 13th century led to the liquidation of the provostry at Włocławek. The handing over of St. John’s church to the Bishop of Włocławek in exchange for some revenues in 1315 marked the end of the Kujawy chapter in the history of Mogilno Abbey.