Poznań - Kościół Najświętszej Marii Panny Wspomożycielki Wiernych

Long before the Christianization of Poland Poznań was an important cultural and political center of the Western Polans. It consisted of a fortified stronghold between the Warta and Cybina rivers. Mieszko I, the first historically recorded ruler of the West Polans and of the early Polish state which they dominated, built one of his main headquarters in Poznań. Mieszko's baptism in 966, seen as a defining moment in the Christianization of the Polish state, may have taken place in Poznań.

Following the baptism, construction began of Poznań's cathedral, the first in Poland. It became the place of burial of the early Piast monarchs, among them Mieszko I, Boleslaus I, Mieszko II Lambert, and Casimir I.

In 1038, Duke Bretislaus I of Bohemia sacked and destroyed both Poznań and Gniezno. In 1138, by the testament of Boleslaus III, Poland was divided into separate duchies under the late king's sons, and Poznań and its surroundings became the domain of Mieszko III the Old.

In 1249, Duke Przemysł I began constructing the Royal Castle on a hill on the left bank of the Warta. Then in 1253, Przemysł issued a charter for the founding of a town under Magdeburg law, between the castle and the river. A large number of German settlers were brought to aid in the building and settlement of the city, which was surrounded by a defensive wall, integrated with the castle.

Poznan was a major center for the fur trade by the late 16th century. Suburban settlements developed around the city walls, on the river islands, and on the right bank, however, the city's development was hampered by regular major fires and floods.

In the 17th century and the 18th, Poznań was affected by a series of wars, attendant military occupations, lootings, and destruction – the Northern Wars, the War of the Polish Succession, and the Seven Years' War. It was also hit by outbreaks of plague, and by floods, particularly that of 1736, which destroyed most of the suburban buildings. The population declined from 20,000 around 1600 to 6,000 around 1730, and Bambergian and Dutch settlers were brought in to rebuild the devastated suburbs.

In 1793, in the Second Partition of Poland, Poznań came under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia.

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In the 13th century, Dominican nuns came to Poznan. In the first half of the 14th century, they built a monastery near the walls. The nuns` church got dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena. Because of this, the nuns in Poznań were called "Catharines". In 1404 the church was rebuilt with a new vault over the chancel. Another reconstruction took place when the north aisle was added.

Then the church suffered a series of disasters - it burned down in 1536. The Swedes destroyed it during the Deluge, and August II the Strong during the Great Northern War. During the Napoleonic era, French and later Russian troops were stationed here. The destruction was completed by the dissolution of the monastery in 1822, when the entire complex was turned into military warehouses. At that time part of the monastery buildings were demolished.

Jn 1925 the complex was handed over to the Salesians, who gave the church its present-day name.