Walk in Warsaw: Old Town
Saint John Cathedral, Warsaw / Flickr.com / DENNIS G. JARVIS
St. John's Cathedral
Built in the 1st half of the 14th Century, St John's Cathedral has witnessed many significant events in the history of Poland. It was here, in 1339, that the Polish-Teutonic knights negotiations over the Chełmno region took place. Piotr Skarga preached his sermons here, the kings Stanisław Leszczyński and Stanisław August Poniatowski were coronated here and there were numerous royal and other important weddings and funerals. The 3rd of May constitution was sworn in at the cathedral.
The cathedral was originally built in gothic style, but there have been many adaptations - mostly during the 19th Century. The cathedral was utterly demolished during the 2nd World War and when it was rebuilt in 1948-1958, they used original 14th century plans. The new facade is an example of so called Vistula Gothic, based on the architectural style of St Peter and Paul's Church in Chełm.
Unfortunately, due to its total destruction during the war, all of the objects inside the cathedral, whilst beautifully prepared, are only reconstructions. We can admire the amazing stalls with figurines of the saints at the back - the originals were given to the church by Jan III Sobieski after the Vienna victory. The tombstone of the Mazovian Dukes and the tombstone statue of Stanisław Nałęcz-Małachowski are also worth a look. The cathedral also contains a chapel dedicated to Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, the early baroque Chapel of the Whipped Christ and the Chapel of the Miraculous Crucifix of Jesus Christ, erected at the end of the baroque period and now more commonly known as the Baryczków Chapel. It is here you can find one of the capital's most sacred objects - the Black Crucifix. This object came to Warsaw from Nuremburg thanks to Wojciech Baryczka and supposedly has miraculous properties.