How many churches in krakow

John the Apostle — cluster by His feet. Look for them at the ends of the transept before the fantastic altar. I approached the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi from the rear, attracted by the wonderful mosaic of St. Francis of Assisi, flanked by two angels and a couple of thorny bushes, below one of the apse windows.

I followed the curve around, down the side, to the main entrance, with a lawn directly across the street from the green belt that circles the Old Town. That first impression rendered me totally unprepared for the explosion of color inside.

If I thought St. Francis seriously outdoes it. Like St. A broad polychromatic palette is liberally strewn everywhere else: in the soffits of the arches and in the spandrels, and in the statues and in the chapels, on the walls and in the frescoes and the Stations of the Cross, and in the vibrant rainbow that arches over the main altar.

Geometric designs and patterns of lilies, poppies, pansies, and other flowers pop with pastel colors. For all these reasons, this Franciscan basilica is not only a favorite of locals and visitors alike, but also of those maybe a little closer to the man upstairs, including Pope John Paul II, who was a frequent visitor here, mostly before but twice after he ascended to the papacy.

Made in Innsbruck and installed between and , the windows brought the 20th century to a largely 15th-century church. Bernardyna ze Sieny I strolled along the banks of the Vistula River, on the opposite side of Wawel Hill, for terrific views of this national landmark. Five Runners-up Church of Sts. Have I inspired you to go? Let me know! Name required. Email required. Rate this:.

Share my story:. Like this: Like Loading Follow Following. The Austrians took over in , whilst in fire wreaked havoc in the centre of the Old Town. Nevertheless, a renaissance was on its way. The Habsburgs had a rocky ride in their wars with the Prussians, and one of the upshots of this was autonomy for the provinces. Galicia, the predominantly Polish province, had a free rein as of The Poles soon led the way in Galicia and there was even a Polish Prime Minister in Vienna before the century was out.

Cracow may have been only the second city of the province Lemberg, Lwow in Polish , was the capital but Cracow soon became the spiritual capital again, aided by its royal legacy and the revitalized Jagiellonian University. The period saw all kinds of regenerative projects, including the remodelling of the Cloth Hall , the return to Poland of the Czartoryski Museum , the renovation of the Old Theatre and the construction of the Slowacki Theatre to name but a few.

The most extraordinary ecclesiastical novelty of this era was the boldly original interior of the Franciscan Church, which had been gutted by fire. Stanislaw Wyspianski rose to the challenge and created one of Poland's most memorable church interiors.

The First World War stalled many projects, but in its aftermath Poland regained her independence. The two main architects of the Polish Pavilion were Jozef Czajkowski and Jan Szczepkowski, and the project included an exquisite chapel by the latter. The pavilion was never reconstructed on Polish soil but the art deco style can be seen at several Cracovian churches, including Sw.

Szczepana and Sw. Stanislaw Kostka in Debniki. The Second World War saw the loss of a huge portion of Poland's cultural heritage and the human toll was unprecedented. In some respects, Poland is still recovering from the catastrophe.

Somewhat exceptionally, Cracow was spared much of the devastation that so many other Polish cities suffered. However, the Soviet-backed Communist party that was levered into power by the Russians was hardly a friend of the Church. The period is commonly described as one of virtual war between the Church and the State.

However, whilst the majority of the Church's property was confiscated, the institution survived. Under the aegis of a number of inspired men of the cloth, including the cardinals Adam Sapieha, Stefan Wyszynski and, ultimately, Karol Wojtyla Pope John Paul II the Church managed to play the role of shepherd of the nation through this trying era.

The building of the Arka Church in Nowa Huta has since passed into legend. When Poland regained full sovereignty in , the Church was amongst the quickest to reclaim pre-war property - some felt that it was rather over-zealous in this matter.

Regardless of this, new building has continued at an extraordinary rate. It has been claimed that more new churches have been built in Poland since than in the rest of the world put together. It was erected in the years on the site of a classical building. The author of the church is Jan Sas-Zubrzycki, who designed this neo-Gothic church with great pomp.

It can be seen from the building itself, constructed with three towers, a steeple referring in its style to the tower of St. The church outside is composed of architectural elements and details taken from Gothic cathedrals style as well as the spacious, bright interior of it, perfectly imitating basic Gothic features.

The building has a high nave, two aisles, six chapels, a presbytery with the surrounding bypass, and a transept nave in relation to the temple axis. In the main altar stands a statue of St. Anna and St. Also I recommend you to visit it at night, when it is lit up. Grodzka 54 This is one of the oldest churches in Krakow, which was built in It captivates with its great Romanesque form, contrasting with the baroque spires added in the 17th century.

The treasury of the church holds priceless relics of the 13th century. The pulpit in the shape of a boat and the musical choir with 18th century organ in the chancel, decorated in Rococo manner are totally worth attention.

The church is an excellent example of the phenomenon of reduction, which means the preservation of all significant architectural elements, while reducing the scale and length of the naves. In the church of St. It was founded in as a wooden church by Casimir the Great and was rebuilt in brick a few decades later, in It has a rich interior - a mixture of Polish Gothic and impressive Polish Baroque architecture and several side chapels.

Many 18th-century paintings. Church catacombs with more than mummified bodies from to Fine Gothic porch with traceries, grand portal. Splendid 3-story Baroque altarpiece of in the chancel. Rich interior. The high altar. Superb stalls of Midth-century pulpit in the form of a boat. Adjacent monastery of Originally built in as a mausoleum for the relics of St.

Florian, the 3rd-century Roman soldier and martyr. The church was a starting point for royal funeral processions to the Wawel Cathedral. Early 17th-century exterior chalice-shaped stone pulpit. Outstanding 16th-century late Renaissance interior pulpit with ornate sculptures. Archeological reserve in the basement. Church of the Holy Cross Sw. Ducha Pl. Old Town Stylish Gothic of c. Fine palm ceiling supported by a single column. Bronze baptismal font of