Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Kraków

Krakow's Franciscan Church (Polish Kościół Franciszkanow ) was named after St. Francis of Assisi, together with the adjacent Franciscan monastery it is located in Krakow on the Franziskanerstraße 2 The church is one of the oldest Gothic churches in Krakow, it was in 1920 the awarded title of basilica minor. The church is located at the small Polish section of the Camino from Sandomierz to Tyniec.

In 1237, Duke Henry the Pious brought the Franciscans from Prague to Krakow. The founder of the church was Duke Boleslaw V. ( " the Chaste " ), who was buried there along with his sister. The consecration of the church took place in 1249, respectively. During the first half of the 15th century the church was greatly expanded. In 1563 the bell tower ( Bracka tower) was built. The bell tower was torn down in 1816 ( according to an anecdote, because the Prussian Resident in Krakow could not sleep because of the bell sound). Also in 1816, the wall was torn down around the old cemetery. The greatest misfortune for the Church was a fire in 1850.

The Franciscan church is a building of brick Gothic architecture and is divided into chancel, transept, nave and several chapels. Particularly noteworthy is the polychrome stained glass. The paintings in the choir and transept were created by Stanisław Wyspiański ( 1869-1907 ). The main work in this church is the stained glass window " God the Father - career! " above the main entrance to the church, it shows God the Father at the moment of creation of the world. In the chancel and stained glass by Wyspiański to see: Sl. Salome and St. Francis.

The church has three chapels: Chapel of the Blessed Salome, chapel of the Passion of Christ and the Mother of God the chapel. In the passion chapel stands a statue of Christ and the walls are painted with Stations of the Cross (a work by Józef Mehoffer ). Here is also the grave of the Blessed Aniela Salawa (1881-1922), who was beatified in 1991 by Pope John Paul II. In this chapel there is also a copy of the Turin grave cloth. In the chapel of the Blessed Salome, a marble altar with alabaster statues from the 17th century. In a niche near the altar the coffin containing the remains of the Duke Bolesław the Chaste. In the third chapel of "Our Lady of Sorrows " is a image of the Sorrowful Mother, is worshiped by the people of Krakow for centuries, it was crowned in 1908 by Pope Pius X..

In the cloisters of the church there is a gallery of portraits of the Bishops of Cracow. The most famous residents of the Franciscan monastery were: Benedict the Pole, St. Rafał Chyliński, Józef Sebastian Pelczar St. Maksymilian Maria Kolbe and St.. Outside the church is a monument of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha (1867-1951), the spiritual leader of the Polish people during the Second World War and during the period of Stalinism.

Glass window of Wyspiański in the choir of the Franciscan Church

Passion chapel of the Franciscan church with a copy of the Turin grave cloth

Plaque for Father Maximilian Kolbe at the Franciscan monastery in Krakow