Church of the Poor Clares is a red brick Gothic church with a few Renaissance touches built between 1582 and 1602 on the site of a previous wooden church and hospital. Officially named the Church of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, it is known locally as the Church of the Poor Clares as it was the home of the Order of the Poor Clares from 1619 until 1835.
The building was turned into a warehouse and later a fire station during the Prussian occupation of the city. Renovated at the end of WWI and reconsecrated in 1923, the church now functions as the city's main garrison church, serving the 10,000 or so military personnel stationed in Bydgoszcz. Of the church's many wonders, of particular interest is the early 17th-century distemper ceiling inside the nave, featuring 112 polychrome panels of beautifully executed flower designs.
References:The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.