The most beautiful religious buildings Poland

This beautiful edifice can be seen from afar thanks to its roof made of a multitude of colorful slates. Completely ravaged by fire in 1976, this huge church has recently been restored. The interior is very bright, with superb modern stained glass windows and beautiful Baroque, Renaissance and Mannerist epitaphs, as well as imposing ogives and some rich ornamentation. As a bonus, you'll find a beautiful view of the city's central square, as well as the suburbs and the Oder River from its 83m-high bell tower.

The Basilian Church of the Holy Cross is located on Nowy Świat, the main street leading to the old town, its castle and ramparts. This religious building is emblematic. Built between 1679 and 1696, it is an impressive example of Ukrainian Baroque architecture, characterized by its onion-shaped domes and elaborate ornamentation. Its interior is equally remarkable, adorned with colorful frescoes and detailed carvings. This church is a place of worship and a historic landmark in the heart of the city.

On the other side of the Saxon Gardens, you'll see a memorial dedicated to the unknown soldiers who died on the battlefield for Poland's freedom in the ^20th century. A symbolic tomb has been erected in the ruins of the Saxon Palace, one of the most emblematic buildings of pre-war Warsaw, destroyed in 1944 (excavations are due to begin in 2022). Soldiers of the honor guard watch over the palace, and the official changing of the guard takes place every Sunday at noon.

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.

Nicknamed "The Crown of Gdańsk", it is one of Poland's largest churches, measuring 105 m long, 66 m wide (at transept level), 27 m high, and 5,000 m² of floor space. The roof covers an area of one hectare. The church is comparable in size to Notre-Dame de Paris. It can hold up to 20,000 people, as was the case during the period of martial law to support the members of Solidarnośćwho took refuge here. It took 160 years of work, between 1343 and 1502, to complete its construction. Initially Catholic, it became Protestant in 1572, before reverting to Catholicism in 1945. It was damaged during the Second World War, but rebuilt afterwards.

The interior, painted white, is particularly light and bright, reinforcing the impression of gigantism. 80% of its art treasures were saved during the war and stand out against the white walls. You can also climb the 405 steps to the top of the tower, for an exceptional view of the whole city.

Don't miss the astronomical clock, the real jewel of the church, built between 1464 and 1470. At the bottom, the two-screen calendarium shows the date, time and liturgical calendar; in the middle, the planetarium shows the lunar phases, the zodiac signs and the positions of the sun and moon in relation to them; above, at noon, the twelve apostles, the Magi and Death; at the very top, Adam and Eve.

This old Lutheran temple with its characteristic architecture, which is quite rare in the region, is located in a park that was practically abandoned until recently, to the east of the city. It dates from the beginning of the 17th century and was built on the model of St. Catherine's Church in Stockholm (Sweden). Converted into a Catholic church after 1945 and the departure of the Germans, the organ is its centerpiece and concerts are sometimes given there. Visits with audioguide.

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.

It dates back to the th century.

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.

The monastery complex stands in an enchanting bucolic setting on Srebrna Góra in the Wolski Forest. The Camaldolese monks live in seclusion, meeting only at prayer time. Contemplative and constantly meditating on death, they meditate before the skulls of their predecessors. Only men are allowed to visit the place and to cross paths with the hermits in their meditation, while women are only allowed to visit 12 specific days a year (for feasts).

This neoclassical synagogue, built in the early ^19th century, survived the Nazis despite being plundered. A small Jewish community organizes concerts of Kleshmer and Yiddish music. A paper kippah must be worn on the head during concerts. For more information, visit the synagogue's facebook page. The street and its neighbors, once the city's Jewish quarter, contain some very fine Art Nouveau and neoclassical buildings.

Built in the ^13th century, this church is as tall as it is long, and has a very disconcerting slender yet squat appearance. This is actually a consequence of its particular architecture, as it consists of two churches superimposed one on top of the other. The lower church is dedicated to St. Bartholomew, patron saint of the Piast dynasty, while the other is dedicated to the Holy Cross. This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings on Ostrów Tumski.

Among the few Jewish relics in Chełm, one cannot miss the Little Synagogue (Synagoga Mała). Built between 1912 and 1914, its façade is richly decorated and enriched with Art Nouveau elements. In the past, there was a second synagogue, which was destroyed during the Second World War. The synagogue was the object of an international scandal after it was bought in 2004 to install a restaurant despite its categorization as a place of worship. Jews from all over the world entered into a heated debate that ultimately did not change the fate of the site.

Located just opposite the cathedral on the north side (to the left of the main entrance), this tiny, unassuming Romanesque church is easy to overlook. That's probably why it's so seldom visited. And yet it's a veritable jewel of the town's architectural heritage. Built in 1230, it is the only church to have survived the Tatar invasions and the pagan revolt that sacked its sisters. To this day, it's the city's oldest church: it deserves to be better known!

Located south of the Rynek, this church dates from the first half of the 14th century, but has been modified several times and was even an evangelical temple. The beautiful Gothic St. Anne's Chapel houses the mausoleum of the Opols, whose family tree is painted on the wall, who ruled the ducal capital and its principality from the 12th to the mid-16th century. Fourteen princes and duchesses of this ruling family found eternal rest here.

The original bastion was built here in the ^15th century as one of the defensive elements of the Wojanów Gate. In 1514, it was completely rebuilt, and then began to serve a dual function - bastion and chapel.

Unfortunately, the building did not survive the Thirty Years' War: in 1634, it burned down in a major city fire. Less than a hundred years later (1709-1715), it was rebuilt to plans by architect Kasper Jentsch.

This small baroque church, built in the 18th century, is an integral part of the Zamoyski residence. It is situated in a beautiful setting on a small island connected by a bridge. This is where the name "Chapel on the Water" (Kaplica na wodzie) comes from. The place lends itself beautifully to a gentle reverie worthy of the greatest romantics of the 19th century. The interior of the church is a delightful mixture of fresh paint and a slight air of abandonment.

Located north of the Rynek, it has been modified over the ages, losing its Gothic style to become a graceful blend of period styles that is well displayed since its recent renovation with two twin bell towers that tower over the city. It is a monument very dear to the people of the city, who associate it closely with their history, and a place of faith and discreet pilgrimage for its Virgin. It is the burial place of the last of the Piast of Opole, John II the Good.

This church is a part of the old Benedictine abbey that used to stand on this spot. It was built in the 18th century in baroque style, and its interior is beautifully decorated with frescoes. The place is normally closed outside of services, but the guard of the Battle of Legnica Museum, located right across the street, has the keys and can let you in if you ask nicely and promise to respect this religious sanctuary.

This imposing brick church, south of the Rynek, was built between 1370 and 1427, but its towers were rebuilt after the Second World War (hence the difference in the color of the bricks). It is one of the largest Gothic churches in the Silesian region. The interior is covered with white stucco, to erase the traces of the fire that destroyed everything in 1945. During the centuries when the region was Protestant, it was transformed into a temple.

On the top of the castle hill (Góra Zamkowa) stands this graceful 17th century basilica. It acquired its Baroque style during its reconstruction in 1735-1756.

The buildings surrounding it are part of a religious complex, formerly a bishop's palace (built in 1771) and monastery (1640-1649). At the foot of the basilica, on the right, you will see the ruins of a medieval fortress from the 10th century, which disappeared a long time ago.

Built between 1610 and 1638 in the Lublin Renaissance style, it belonged to the Franciscans. After the departure of the Franciscans from the monastery to which it belonged in 1783, military barracks were set up in the adjacent buildings and in 1812 a hospital was built. In 1888, the church was transformed into an Orthodox church and was run by nuns before being returned to Catholic hands. Today the church has a beautiful and imposing interior. The decorations are numerous, especially the frescoes.

The present Gothic building was built by King Casimir the Great in 1360. The exterior facade has retained its authenticity, but the interior has been redone several times. The interior is decorated with rococo altars, in black or pink marble. On the walls of the nave, paintings represent the destruction of the city by the Tatars and the Swedes. Others, grouped under the name of Kalendarium predicts in twelve parts the way in which everyone will die.

This place of worship built at the beginning of the seventeenth century has known degradations and humiliations common to the period of the Second World War and the Nazi hatred. The synagogue was even burned before the conflict ended and is now a shadow of its former self. The local authorities made the effort to restore and renovate it, partially, during the 1960s. Although it is not open to Jewish worship, the community having disappeared like everywhere else, it now houses the city's cultural center.

Built between 1309 and 1350, under the administration of the Teutonic Order at the time of the city's foundation, this church consists of a central nave of 21 m twice as high as the two on the sides. At the end of the right nave is a Gothic crucifix called "Christ at the Tree of Life", inherited from a Dominican church, and in the chancel is an 18th century Baroque altar. The church is dominated by a double-roofed bell tower. The church is one of the most important examples of brick architecture in the Baltic Sea basin.

Built at the end of the 14th century by order of Franciscan, this imposing red brick church is austere view from the outside but beautifully decorated inside frescoes and long stained-glass windows. In particular, the three naves are frescoes from the 14th century on the life of Christ. The vaults, in star, are decorated with floral motifs. The church houses the baroque mausoleum of the Swedish princess Anna Vasa, sister of king Sigismund III.

Built in the early ^13th century, it is one of the oldest Gothic churches in the region, and the town's largest religious edifice. It dominates the landscape with its 52-metre bell tower, built in 1433. It houses the second-largest bell in Poland, after Wawel. Cast in 1500, the bell is called Tuba dei, "trumpet of God", and measures 217 cm in diameter, weighing 7.2 tons. The Protestants took over the building in 1530.

Behind the Rynek to the east, this church from the second half of the 14th century is the oldest monument in the city. It has been rebuilt several times after fires that ravaged it, the last time in the 18th century. It is in baroque style and we can only deplore that its tower, 90 m high, collapsed in 1776, hence the incongruous appearance of its current bell tower, which seems to be stuck here unexpectedly (which is the case). Its beautiful carved wooden entrance door is perhaps the only interest of the whole.

In 1187, on a hill outside Szczecin's city walls, the Church of St. James was consecrated, founded by a wealthy bourgeois from Bamberg. This vast brick church was completely destroyed by the war, but rebuilt from the outside. Post-World War II reconstruction continued from 1945 to 1972. Prior to this, the building had already undergone a period of restoration in the ^16th century. From the top of the tower, a magnificent panorama of the city opens up. The interior features many contemporary artifacts.

The church of St. John is a beautiful Gothic church of the 15th century, with a sober and slender interior. It is the oldest church in the city. Originally a Franciscan monastic complex, during the Reformation the monks left the monastery and the parishioners and clergy mostly accepted Luther's reforms. From that time until 1945, the church was an evangelical temple, with a short stint under the communist regime where it was a warehouse.

Built in 1640, the Kupa synagogue was the last to be built for the Jews of Kazimierz. It owes its current appearance to renovation work in the 1930s and to the restoration undertaken in the years 1990-2000. The impressive polychromy of the ceiling with representations of the cities of the Holy Land, and the paintings with the signs of the zodiac decorating the balustrade of the gallery are noteworthy. A fragment of the old medieval ghetto wall can be seen in the inner courtyard on the Warschauera Street side.

Built in 1860-1862 in the neo-Romanesque style with interiors inspired by Moorish art, it is, along with the Remu'h synagogue, one of the two synagogues still active in Krakow. Also called the "progressive synagogue", it was attended by maskilim Jews, "enlightened" in the sense of "opposed to the precepts of the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic" who, at the time, were linked to the Remu'h synagogue. A ritual bath, the mikva, was located behind the synagogue and remained in operation until the late 1960s.

It's one of Poland's most beautiful neo-Gothic buildings. Delicate, sublime, romantic, this church captivates with its architectural harmony. It took five years to build this masterpiece, consecrated on October 24, 1909. More beautiful on the outside than on the inside, it nevertheless boasts a number of marvels, including a relief by Vit Wisz and Marian Krzyk, depicting The Marriage of St. Joseph and the Mother of God. Behind the main altar, you can also admire Sigismund Langman's image of Christ crucified in 1909.

From Rękawka Street to the left of house n. 22, a small trail leads towards a wooded hill with a rather bucolic framework. Here, the little church of Saint Benedict, one of the oldest in Krakow. Its construction, dated by archeologists in the twelfth century, remains wrapped in mystery. This Romanesque church, redesigned several times, especially in the sixteenth century, may have been founded by the Benedictine Benedictines, as suggested by the name of the saint to whom it is devoted. The fort of Saint Benedict was built in 1850 by the Austrians to reinforce the defense of the bridge on Vistule. If we continue south, we arrive at the old cemetery of Podgórze, located at the intersection of the streets Limanowskiego and Powstańców Śląskich. Probably created in 1790, it is the oldest cemetery in Krakow, where the heroes of the 1846 insurgency against the Austrians, as well as many Polish artists, are resting. South of the cemetery, a pedestrian bridge crosses the Powstańców Śląskich Street, along which there is a huge fresco on the history of Krakow. Once crossing the bridge, we arrive at Krak's tertre and, behind, at the camp of Płaszów.

This church, located north of the Rynek, dates from the first half of the 18th century. Formerly Protestant, it is now Catholic. It is richly decorated with many baroque details. It is a beautiful historic church with exposed beams on the outside and two floors of balconies on the inside. In 1966, on November 5 and 6, the future Pope John Paul II, then archbishop, celebrated mass here, a fact commemorated by the church's parishioners.

Located on the banks of the Vistula, this fortified monastery town dates from the 13th century. It was here that the "Dames of Zwierzyniec", also known as the Norbertine sisters, settled. At that time, the convent welcomed young noble girls and was often run by superiors from princely families. Every year, on Easter Monday, a big fair, called Emaus, is held in the vicinity of the monastery. It is also the starting point for the famous Lajkonik festival.

Built in 1644 by the rich merchant Isaac Jakubowicz, it is the most beautiful of the Kazimierz synagogues. In 1924, a double staircase was added to the façade to allow women to reach the gallery reserved for them. Today there is also a kosher restaurant. Every Monday, Thursday and Sunday at 6 pm, klezmer music concerts are held here. Tickets can be purchased in the synagogue or in tourist offices (around 60 zl).

Built between 1556 and 1563, it takes its name from the location of the prayer room, which was high above the street. Destroyed during the Second World War, it was used for a long time as a warehouse. Since 2005, an exhibition on Jewish history and culture and a well-stocked Jewish bookstore can be visited. Its austere façade has been preserved, with three large semicircular windows framed by four large buttresses.

This small octagonal wooden church dates back to the xvii^e century. It is covered with shingles and topped by a lantern. In his little cemetery, one buried of the plague victims during the epidemics, including that of cholera, in 1707, which decimated residents.

This now somewhat forgotten church, built in the early 12th century, is probably the oldest Romanesque red brick church in all of Poland, a style that later became very recognizable and symbolic of the countryside. The exterior has retained its original appearance, but the interior has been remodeled in Baroque style. Unfortunately, the decoration was ransacked in the early 1990s to give it a modern appearance. There are still some superb remains, such as a sarcophagus carved from a single block of oak.

Built at the end of the 15th century in the Gothic style with the then very famous local sandstone, the so-called "Szydłowiec sandstone", it has retained its original appearance intended by its patron, Jakub Szydłowiecki, sloping towards the sky. During its long history, only a few changes were made to the interior during the 16th century, as well as in the bell tower (renovated in 2006). It too is located on the Rynek and is impossible to miss. Its patron saint, Zygmunt in Polish, is a martyred Frankish king of Burgundy who reigned in the 6th century.