Tourist routes in Cracow: Churches and cathedrals
St Mary's Church, Cracow / Paweł Piotrowski / Agencja Gazeta
St Mary's Church
Krakow's most famous religious building is situated at the eastern corner of the Market Square. This first Romanesque church was built in the first half of the thirteenth century, and the present Gothic style took shape in the fourteenth century and the first half of the fifteenth century, when the side chapels were added. The impressive, three-nave basilica has two towers of different heights. The higher one, topped with a cupola with a beautiful Baroque Gothic crown, acted as a guardian of the city and from here can be heard the bugle call of St. Mary every hour which is the musical symbol of Krakow. The most valuable artefact is the famous church altar made by Veit Stoss in the years 1477-1489. It is artistically the most perfectly-preserved in Europe, a late-Gothic altar set with sculpture. It presents the life of Mary and Christ - there is a huge selection of scenes with 200 characters, all carved in linden wood, then painted and gilded. The chancel windows are unique, preserved stained glass windows from the fourteenth century. The church interior is decorated with polychrome (1889-1891), undertaken by such individuals as Jozef Mehoffer and Stanisław Wyspiański, and designed by Jan Matejko. Of note are the magnificent stalls (XVII century) with carved scenes from the New Testament in their backs. The richly decorated, mostly Baroque altars in the nave and side chapels are filled with paintings by Giovanni Pittoniego, Szymon Czechowicz and Dominika Estreicher. Among the numerous monuments and epitaphs of Krakow's townspeople which stand out are the brown slabs of Solomon and Boners (XVI century) and the Mannerist tombstones of Montelupich and Cellari.