The windows located under the vault of the main nave and the chancel date back to the end of the 19th century. They were created as part of the regothicisation of the temple, when it was decided to restore the original appearance, in line with the strict spirit of Cistercian architecture, to both the interior and the façade. They were made in the studio of Friedrich Stummel of Kevelaer, who also designed a new polychrome for the interior of the Basilica, with toned-down colour scheme and mostly abstract forms, created by modest, ordered architectural, geometric and floral ornaments. The stained-glass windows, like the polychromies, remain in conformity with the simplified Cistercian style, presenting a traditional carpet pattern. Only the huge windows in the eastern and western façades had presented figural scenes, but unfortunately they were destroyed during the war in 1945 (the present ones were built in the 1960s and 1990s).
The stained-glass windows, which are on the verge of collapse, are subject to renovation as part of the project “Cathedral Basilica in Pelplin – renovation and opening of a new exhibition area”. They are scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.
