The Jesuits arrived in Poznań in the early 1570s. Their goal was to establish an academy and university in the west of the Republic of Poland; their mission: to spread Christian knowledge in line with Church reforms following the Council of Trent and based on new teaching methods. The Jesuits erected a building complex which included a church, a school and a college building. Constructed with great flourish and modelled on Baroque Roman basilicas, Poznań’s Parish Church intimidated burghers who were used to more modest churches. Its richly decorated polychromies and stucco work were intended to refine the tastes of the city’s 17th– and 18th-century residents. Built by the Jesuits, the Church became a weapon of war in the fight against the reformation. Its lavish interior was meant to intimidate burghers and convince them of the power and invincibility of the Catholic Church. Its interiors are adorned with paintings representing Polish saints and those associated with the Jesuits. A painting in the main altar depicts the raising of Piotrovine from the dead by Bishop Stanisław. Its side altars house paintings of St. Stanisław Kostka and St. Ignacy Loyola.