of the Kujawska Chapter). In 1619, the monks founded their residence in the city, with a grammar school next to it; it then developed into a full-fledged Jesuit College in 1647. The construction of the church of Holy Cross was completed in 1649, the northern tower in the 1650s, the southern one in 1695. During the Swedish invasions in the mid-17th century, the ensemble was plundered. A slow reconstruction lasted until 1740. In 1806, the church was dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Unfortunately, in mid-June the same year, a violent storm knocked down towers spires: through public contributions they were covered with temporary roofs in 1857, before being rebuilt with a Neo-gothic appearance in 1882. During the inter-war period, the German-catholic-owned church carried out a service in Polish every Sunday at 11.00. In 1925, during a renovation in the Crypt, 86 coffins from the second half of the 17th century were found, including Franciszek Ossoliński's, the only son of the grand crown chancellor Jerzy Ossoliński, prematurely deceased in 1648. After the Nazis destruction, the empty space was never re-allocated and the center of the city was left mutilated. A request to rebuild the church was made in 1946. Unfortunately, the wording church was not in line with socialist authorities principles. Other efforts were made in the 1980s, through the Social Committee for Reconstruction, however, the lack of clear consent from the Roman Catholic diocese of Bydgoszcz was always an obstacle difficult to surmount. The Jesuit church was a perfect instance of Polish Palladian architecture. The church had a hall, its portal being incorporated into the western frontage of the Old Market Square. It had two side chapels devoted to Our Lady and Saint Joseph. Interiors displayed a Baroque architecture influence. The church towers, while late additions, boasted magnificent baroque spires. Along with the towers, the portal also underwent a Neo-gothic renovation in the 1880s. In 1850, two paintings by Maksymilian Piotrowski (1813–1875) were installed in the church: Saint Ignatius Loyola at the main altar and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the altar of the right chapel. Our Lady's chapel was decorated with a painting by Antoni Procajłowicz (1876–1949) and the interior of the church was decorated with the works of Poznan sculptor Władysław Marcinkowski. Some elements of the former Jesuit church are still preserved in other Polish sacred buildings: Maksymilian Piotrowski's Saint Ignatius Loyola stands now