The Conventual Franciscan monastery in Niepokalanów was founded in 1927 by Saint. Maksymilian Kolbe. The construction of the church began in the summer of 1939. Work on the foundations was interrupted by the war. Since 1946, the monastery was looking for a new architect who would create a new project. Zygmunt Gawlik (1895-1961) applied. The artist graduated in sculpture (with X. Dunikowski), painting (with F. Pautsch) and architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He managed many archaeological and monument conservation projects. From 1925, the Katowice cathedral was built according to his design. This brought him many orders, mainly for churches. In Niepokalanów, the basic condition set by the clients was to save the foundations laid in 1939. The church was built in 1948-1952. During the construction, difficulties occurred due to the unfavorable attitude of the communist authorities towards the monastery (sabotage, searches, confiscation of building materials, interrogations). The interior finishing and furnishings of the church - marble floors, pews, confessionals, pulpit, baptismal font and altars - were also built according to Gawlik's design. Most of the artistic work was done by the monks themselves. The church was to be consecrated by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, but at that time he found himself in forced isolation. The church is an interesting episode in Polish construction, a creative interpretation of the ideas of reinforced concrete architecture by August Perret and Carl Moser. It is modern construction, but not avant-garde. Its calm forms, referring to classic patterns, have gained universal recognition. The architect, using design and construction techniques available to him, gave his works a discreet period tone, inspired by the Renaissance.