The most beautiful religious buildings Little Poland

Founded in the early 17th century by Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, this complex consists of a shrine and a Calvary whose location on the hills and structure were meant to recall Jerusalem. The paths of the Way of the Cross are lined with about forty chapels, most of which date from the first half of the seventeenth century, and evoke Golgotha. These monuments are set in a beautiful natural setting that has remained almost unchanged since the 17th century.

This beautiful church built at the end of the 16th century, under the direction of Bernardo Morando, has a splendid interior. It is considered one of the most beautiful religious monuments of the Renaissance in Poland. Its vaulting is typical of Polish mannerism.

The monumental silver tabernacle is in rococo style. In the choir, there are four paintings depicting the life of St. Thomas, the patron saint of the city. From the top of the bell tower, there is a beautiful view of the city.

The shrine houses the relics of St. Faustina, canonized in 2000 by John Paul II. Saint Faustina lived here from 1925 until her death in 1938 and one of her visions inspired the creation of a painting, a copy of which can be seen in the chapel. A modern basilica has been built next to the chapel and its tower with an elevator offers one of the most beautiful views of Krakow. On the first Sunday after Easter, pilgrims arrive from all over Poland for the Divine Mercy.

Located in front of the Episcopal Palace, this church was founded by one of the bishops of Krakow who sat there at the end of the 12th century. Originally built in Romanesque style, it was rebuilt in the 17th century and has been modified several times since then to create a striking result dominated by the Baroque style. Inside, there is a Gothic triptych dating from 1490, an ornamented tomb in a Renaissance style dating from 1553.

This eighteenth-century Baroque basilica is a bit out of the way, but it is immediately noticeable if you walk along the banks of the Vistula River, the way it majestically stands out from the river, in the middle of a park. It is one of the most popular places of worship in the city, because of its special relationship with St. Stanislaus, the patron saint of Poland. After his murder, the martyr and bishop was installed here and celebrated before he was canonized and later exhumed and transported to the Wawel. The memory of the saint continues to keep alive the basilica, which is one of the richest in the city. Its interior is a true Baroque jewel that should not be missed: pastel colors, golden ornaments, statues of angels and saints. Above all, the chapel dedicated to St. Stanislaus. Inside, you can see the trunk on which the drops of blood of the bishop fell. The miraculous water in the basin near the church, with a statue of St. Stanislaus, is said to have healing powers, especially for skin and eye diseases.

Every year since the 13th century, on the first Sunday after May 8, the faithful carry the relic of the Bishop of Wawel to Skałka. The start of the grand procession is marked by the ringing of Sigismund's bell. This is one of the highlights of the country that is a must see. Under the basilica is the Crypt of the Meritorious, where "great men" who have distinguished themselves in the field of culture, science and art are buried.

Located south of the Rynek opposite the Bishops' Palace, this enormous church dates from the 13th century. In the 19th century, it was enriched with beautiful stained glass windows and Art Nouveau murals by Stanisław Wyspiański: the one above the door, God the Creator, is a true masterpiece. During Lent, every Friday around 4:30 pm, men dressed in black carry a skull to the Passion Chapel, where they then lie on the floor. In the adjacent cloister(klasztor), there is an amazing collection of portraits of all the bishops of Krakow.

Located on a limestone hill overlooking the city, the monastery was founded in 1382 by Ladislaus II, Duke of Opole, for the Pauline friars who, in 1384, received the icon of the Black Madonna. Fortified in the first part of the 17th century, the monastery successfully withstood several sieges, including the Swedish one in 1655. In the 19th century, Tsar Alexander^I ordered the destruction of part of the fortifications. What remains is a square enclosure with bastions where the buildings are grouped in a compact way. From the top of the bell tower (106 meters, open from April to November), erected in 1620-1644, then enlarged in the second half of the seventeenth century, one can enjoy a beautiful view of the entire site, as well as the rest of the city.

Chapel of the Miraculous Icon (Kaplica Cudownego Obrazu). This small Gothic chapel, with walls covered with ex-voto, houses the icon of the Black Madonna. Embedded in a baroque ebony altar, this tiny icon is constantly surrounded by a crowd of believers. The stones and fabrics that adorn it were donated by pilgrims.

Basilica (Bazylika). The basilica was built in the 15th to 17th centuries in a very luxurious baroque style. You will notice an impressive number of references to religious people deported to Auschwitz.

Knights' Hall (Sala Rycerska). Dating from 1647, you will see 9 paintings representing the major stages in the life of the monastery, as well as a reproduction of the icon of the Black Madonna.

Museum of the 600th anniversary (Muzeum Szescsetlecia). It presents a superb collection of sacred art objects, beautiful religious paintings and musical instruments. It was established in the former printing house, which was suppressed by the Russians in 1864.

Treasure Room (Skarbiec). Impressive collection of the most valuable ex-voto and pilgrims' offerings to the Virgin of Częstochowa, assembled since the 15th century.

Arsenal (Arsenał). Weapons and war trophies evoke the military history of the monastery and the sieges it has supported throughout its history

In the sanctuary, there is also a library with more than 8,000 volumes, including a large number of precious manuscripts. Access is restricted to researchers only. Finally, in the park that surrounds the monastery, you will stop in front of the 14 bronze statues of the Way of the Cross, founded in 1900-1913. Leaving the monastery on Barbary Street, you will find yourself in the middle of a market of religious souvenirs that offer portraits of the Pope, plastic virgins and other objects.

Built at the end of the 16th century by the Jesuits who came to launch the counter-Reformation, this church was the first Baroque building in the city. It is easily recognizable from Grodzka Street: its façade is preceded by a balustrade on which stand the statues of the 12 apostles (1723)

statues of the 12 apostles (1723). Its crypt contains the remains of Piotr Skarga, a Jesuit preacher and visionary priest who predicted the partition of Poland. The church hosts classical music concerts.

It is one of the largest basilicas in Krakow, which has been the mother church of the Dominican order since its introduction in 1229, and therefore occupies a very important place in the history of the country. The church was destroyed by fire in 1850 and only a few chapels survived, such as the Chapel of St. Hyacinth, in the middle of which stands a sarcophagus containing the relics of the first Polish Dominican. In the 1980s, students who were opposed to the regime organized exhibitions of subversive paintings in the chapel.

Tyniec is one of the oldest monasteries in Poland still active today. Founded on a rocky promontory overlooking the Vistula River in the mid-11th century by Benedictine monks from France, the abbey has the characteristics of a baroque fortified church with Gothic elements. Only the church can be visited because the convent still houses a religious community. The abbey is part of the congregation of the Annunciation and the federation of sites of the Order of Cluny. Inside, one can admire the baroque pulpit in the shape of a ship's bow and the black marble altar contrasting with the golden statues that decorate it. Entering the courtyard, it is possible to discover portions of old walls and a well dating from the seventeenth century. Within the abbey grounds there is also a museum that tells the history of the abbey. In Tyniec, the monks' choir still performs beautiful Gregorian chants. The monastery store, open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. sells honey, beer, jams, cheeses and other delicacies made by the monks. The convent also has a magnificent panoramic terrace with a peaceful view of the Vistula River and its green landscape. Far from the crowds, you can meditate in the midst of beautiful nature and on the banks of the Vistula.

If you go there on a sunny day, take a gondola cab (only one boat per day with only 12 seats).

Built in the 16th century by the merchant Isserl ben Jozef as a gift for his son Moses Isserles (1520-1572), known as Remu'h, the famous Krakow scholar, philosopher and Talmudist, it is the only synagogue in Krakow that offers regular religious functions. Originally, it was a very small synagogue for the close circle of its founder. It is sometimes referred to as the "new" synagogue in comparison to the Old Synagogue. Behind the synagogue, the cemetery is the oldest in Krakow's Jewish community and one of the oldest in Europe. Established in 1551, it was closed by the Austrians in 1800 for sanitary reasons and vandalized by the Nazis during World War II. In 1959-1960, excavations brought to light several layers of burials, in total more than 700 stelae, most of which date back to the 16th century. The most impressive sarcophagi of the complex, decorated with enigmatic and mystical inscriptions, are gradually being renovated and exhibited. The greatest cult is dedicated to the tomb of Rabbi Remu'h, which is adjacent to the western wall of the synagogue. His tomb was miraculously spared by the Nazis, a fact interpreted by Orthodox Jews as a sign of his holiness, even though it was already a place of pilgrimage for Hasidic Jews. Today, visits by groups from Israel show that the site retains its roots. The graves that could not be preserved were used to build a wall of remembrance near the entrance.

Built in the 11th century, this massive church is the best preserved example of Romanesque architecture not only in Krakow, but in all of Poland. The facade is dominated by two octagonal towers with narrow geminated windows with a small central column, which testify to its defensive purpose. In fact, it is the only church in the city to have survived the Tatar assault in 1241. The interior, of baroque style, transformed in the XVIIIth century, is superb.

The construction of the Ark of the Lord was the result of an intense struggle by the inhabitants against the communist regime, which wanted a "city without God". Unfortunately, the workers of Nowa Huta, often from the countryside, won. It was the future Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła, then archbishop of Krakow, who laid the foundation stone of the church in 1969, in this case a fragment of the tomb of St. Peter sent by the Vatican.

The temple resembles Noah's Ark, stranded on Mount Ararat, with its 70 m high mast in the shape of a cross surrounded by a crown. It should be seen as a metaphor that Christianity will survive communism. Inside the church, there is a gigantic bronze Christ, 8 m high, crucified but without a cross. In the months following the opening of the church, masses were celebrated every 30 minutes on Sundays to cope with the crowds. From December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, during the Martial Law, on the 13th of each month in this church, the "Mass for the Fatherland" was celebrated, for social justice and respect for human rights. These masses were followed by demonstrations against the violation of civil rights by the authorities, which were severely repressed by the police. The most famous victim of these riots was Bogdan Włosik, a 19-year-old student working at the steel mill. In front of the church is the monument commemorating the place where Włosik was killed by a secret police agent in 1982.

This monastery, inhabited by Cistercian monks since 1222, is the mother house of the order in the country. Within its walls stands the Gothic Church of the Virgin Mary and St. Wenceslas, one of the oldest in Poland. Its Chapel of the Holy Cross contains the miraculous crucifix of Mogiła: its faithful go around its altar on their knees. Opposite the monastery is the small wooden church of St. Bartholomew, one of the oldest wooden churches in Poland.

This church, among the oldest in Krakow, was built by Piotr Wlast. The bishop of Krakow predicted that he would regain his sight if he founded 7 churches and 3 cloisters. His pride led him to build 70 churches and 30 cloisters. The promise was not fulfilled. After realizing his sin, he rebuilt 7 churches and 3 cloisters, including the Church of the Holy Savior... and recovered his sight. The most interesting element of the church's interior is a painting of Christ on the Cross with a musician (1605) by Kasper Kurcz.

Located behind the Słowacki Theater, this 15th-century red-brick Gothic church, quite simple in appearance from the outside, is well worth a visit. The nave is topped by a Gothic star vault supported by a single central pillar symbolizing the new tree of life embodied by the cross of Christ, typical of the hospitable order of the Holy Spirit of Saxia to which the church belonged. The side walls are decorated with precious gothic frescoes.

Facing Notre Dame Square, this 14th century church was once the chapel of the parish cemetery that occupied the square and was used until 1796. Its interior is baroque and there is a small chapel from the end of the 15th century with sculptures of Jesus surrounded by three apostles praying in the Garden of Olives. The Jesuit convent, adjacent to the church, communicates with the Mały Rynek square. After 1780, it became a hospital and it was here that Dr. Rafał Józef Czerwiakowski performed the first autopsy in Kraków.

Located on the Rynek, south of the Cloth Hall, this small church, built in the ^10th century, is the oldest in the city. The original wooden structure was replaced by a Romanesque church in the ^12th century. In the ^17th century, the latter was further modified to take on a Baroque appearance. Fragments of the Romanesque walls, on display in the church, represent the oldest architectural features of the Rynek. From June¹ to September 30, an exhibition on the history of Saint Adalbert and the church can be viewed in the superb basement crypt.