Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Krakow

Monuments

Klomb z wrzosami i drzewkiem, za nim gotycki murowany kościół, z prawej wysoka ściana z szeroką podporą i oknem. Do ściany przylega w poprzek frontowa ściana zakończona ozdobnym trójkątem u góry z krzyżem, z drzwiami z łukiem i dużym oknem. Po lewej jasny niższy budynek kaplicy z oknem. Dalej jasny trzykondygnacyjny budynek. Niebo z niewielkimi pasmami gór.

pl. Wszystkich Świętych 5, 31-004 Kraków Tourist region: Kraków i okolice

tel. +48 124225376

The first church on the site was built in the 13th century, but its current appearance differs from the original one. The building has been rebuilt several times. It became the seat of the Franciscan Order brought to Kraków by Duke Henry the Pious. Despite its remote history, it is now famous, above all for its polychrome and stained-glass windows by Stanisław Wyspiański and a faithful copy of the Turin Shroud.

In 1896, Stanisław Wyspiański worked on the polychrome in the church of the Franciscan Fathers. He is the artist who created the paintings adorning the walls of the chancel, transept, the west facade, and the initial section of the nave. Motifs of field flowers, herbs and stars dominate them. Next to the altarpiece, the artist made figurative paintings. In 1897 and 1902, Wyspiański worked on stained glass designs: ‘Saint Francis’, ‘Blessed Salome’, ‘Elements’, and the most famous and grandiose, ‘God the Father’.

In the Passion Chapel, the future Pope Karol Wojtyła, bishop and cardinal, often celebrated the Stations of the Cross privately. Today, it houses a copy of the Turin Shroud, consecrated by Pope John Paul II, and a coffin containing the remains of Blessed Aniela Salawa, whom he beatified.

The church as it stands today is a Gothic building. At the church’s entrance is the lovely Chapel of Blessed Salomea, built in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 17th century. On the altar stands a coffin with the Blessed's relics, and next to the altar, a reliquary with the bones of Bolesław the Chaste (the church's founder). Both Bolesław the Chaste and his sister, Blessed Salomea, are buried in this church. When visiting the church, it is worth noting the Stations of the Cross, whose author is Józef Mehoffer, a painter of the Young Poland period.

Another important monument in the chapel adjacent to the church is the painting of Our Lady of Sorrows the Benefactor from the first half of the 16th century. Besides, the monastery cloisters house the famous portrait gallery of the Bishops of Kraków.

The Franciscan Church, one of the first in Kraków, was elevated to a basilica minor on 23 February 1920, constituting a triple sanctuary: Our Lady of Sorrows the Sorrowful Benefactor, Blessed Salome of Piast and Blessed Aniela Salawa. It is worth mentioning that the church is located on the route of the Małopolska Way of St James from Sandomierz to Tyniec.