Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wadowice

On the south wall of the basilica is a sundial with the motto "Czas ucieka, wieczność czeka" — "Time flies, eternity awaits". According to the parish, it can be seen from the windows of the Wojtyła family's former flat. The Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the market square in Wadowice is the church where Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, was baptised, received his First Communion and confirmation and served Mass as an altar boy. It is a working parish church and the most important stop on the papal trail in town.

History: from Gothic chancel to basilica

The earliest record of a church in Wadowice dates from 1325. The first wooden church burned down in the great town fire of 1440, and a brick one was built in the mid-15th century. Its two-bay Gothic chancel with a rib vault survives from that time. After a fire in 1726, a late Baroque nave and tower were built in 1792–1798 and consecrated in 1808. In 1836 Pope Gregory XVI changed the dedication from All Saints to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary.

In the late 19th century the Kraków architect Tomasz Pryliński remodelled the façade in Neo-Baroque style, adding a portico with a balcony and a new spire on the tower; the sundial also dates from this time. In January 1945 a Soviet bombing raid damaged the church, and it stayed closed for a year. On 25 March 1992 John Paul II gave it the title of minor basilica.

What to see

• The Holy Family Chapel with the stone Baroque font at which Father Franciszek Żak baptised Karol Wojtyła on 20 June 1920. Wojtyła kissed it as archbishop in 1966, as cardinal in 1970 and as pope in 1979.
• The Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help with the painting before which young Karol prayed every day before school. John Paul II crowned it on 16 June 1999.
• The Chapel of St John Paul II with his relics and parts of the altar from Benedict XVI's visit in 2006, guarded by figures of Swiss Guards.
• Vault paintings from 2000–2003 inspired by John Paul II's teaching, and Stations of the Cross by the local painter Jan Nepomucen Bizański.

Good to know

Next to the painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help stands an alarm clock — a gift from the people of Lourdes that stood in the papal apartment and was given to the church as a votive offering after the pope's death. The parish pairs it with the sundial on the façade as a symbolic frame around John Paul II's life. In the Holy Family Chapel, the altar figures include St John of Kęty, a professor of the Kraków Academy, in place of St Joachim.

Tripto tips

The basilica is a working church, so visit outside Mass times and keep quiet; the parish website lists current service times. Thirty to forty minutes is enough for the interior. Before you go in, walk round to the south side to find the sundial, then walk a few steps to the Family Home of John Paul II museum. The parish also offers a virtual tour of the basilica online — a good way to prepare for your visit.