Corpus Christi Basilica in Kraków

Legend has it that on the spot where the Corpus Christi Basilica now stands, a stolen monstrance was found in a marsh, with mysterious lights burning above it day and night — and the king promised to build a church there. The facts are just as interesting: the Gothic church was founded around 1340 by King Casimir the Great, built with interruptions over more than a century, and inside you'll find a 21-metre altar, a boat-shaped pulpit and Kraków's largest organ.

History: a century of building

Work began in the 1340s with foundations for the whole church and the chancel walls up to 12 m, but after 1348 construction stopped — possibly because of the Black Death sweeping Europe at the time. It resumed in 1369; the accounts name the Kazimierz master builders Jan Cypser and his son Mikołaj. The chancel was consecrated in 1401, and in 1405 King Władysław Jagiełło brought in the Canons Regular of the Lateran from Kłodzko, who still care for the church today. The gable of the façade was added around 1500, and the free-standing tower in 1566–1582. During the Swedish invasion of 1655 the interior was looted, which is why today's furnishings are largely Baroque. In 2005 Pope John Paul II made the church a minor basilica.

What to see

• The high altar — two storeys, 21 m tall, with an inscription dating it to 1634; in the centre Tomasz Dolabella's "Adoration of the Shepherds", on top a figure of John the Baptist.
• The boat pulpit from the mid-18th century, with oars, a net and a sail serving as the canopy; the boat is carried by mermaids and dolphins.
• The Mannerist choir stalls of 1624–1632 with paintings from the history of the order, considered among the finest in this part of Europe.
• The shrine of St Stanislaus Kazimierczyk, a canon who lived and died at this church, and a plaque to Bartolomeo Berrecci — architect of the Sigismund Chapel at Wawel, who is buried in the basilica.
• The Annunciation Chapel with a bronze baptismal font from the first half of the 15th century.

Organ and bells

The basilica's organ is the largest in Kraków by number of stops: 83 stops, 5,950 pipes and 20 bells. It has two parts with their own keyboards — the main organ (63 stops) in the choir loft and the side organ (20 stops) in the chancel — linked by an electric action. The distance between them makes it possible to play music written for echo effects. The first organ here was built as early as 1373; it burned in a fire in 1594. Five historic bells hang in the tower.

Did you know?

Around the medieval church there was a Passion cemetery with scenes of Gethsemane and Golgotha; its remains were destroyed when the ground was levelled in 1938–1940. Today the church is a triple sanctuary: of Our Lady, of St Stanislaus Kazimierczyk and of the Eucharist.

Tripto tip

The basilica stands at 26 Bożego Ciała Street, a few steps from Wolnica Square. Weekday Masses are at 8:00, 12:00 and 18:00, with additional Sunday Masses at 10:00 and 16:00, so plan your visit in between. Allow 20–30 minutes for the interior; stop by the pillar on the left side of the nave where the boat pulpit hangs — up close you can see the symbols of the evangelists carved on its sides. The visit combines easily with a walk around Kazimierz and along the Vistula.