St Andrew's Church in Kraków

The lower part of the façade of St Andrew's Church has no windows — only narrow arrow slits. They are not decoration: according to the chronicler Jan Długosz, in 1241, during the Mongol invasion, the people of Okół, the settlement below Wawel Hill, took refuge behind these very walls. Built between 1079 and 1098, the church at Grodzka 54 is one of the best-preserved Romanesque buildings in Poland, and behind its stern stone exterior lies a dazzling Baroque interior belonging to the Poor Clare nuns.

History: a fortress church

The church was founded by the palatine Sieciech, a powerful lord in the time of Duke Władysław Herman. It was the main church of Okół, the settlement between Wawel and the later Market Square. The walls were built of alternating layers of limestone and reddish sandstone, and the whole building was designed for defence — with galleries above the aisles and narrow windows in thick walls. In 1243 Duke Konrad of Masovia, fighting for the Kraków throne, surrounded the church with a moat and rampart, and another Tatar raid in 1260 probably damaged it.

In 1320 the church was given to the Poor Clares, and King Władysław the Short founded a convent for them. The nuns are still here today; they regard Blessed Salomea, daughter of Duke Leszek the White and the first Polish woman to take the Poor Clare habit, as the founder of their community. Fires never changed the exterior; in 1639 the towers received Baroque cupolas, and after 1700 the interior was remodelled in Baroque style.

What to see

• The west front with its two towers — square at the base, octagonal higher up — with Romanesque twin windows, a triple window and arrow slits.
• The signature of a 12th-century mason, carved into the stone of the north tower at first-floor level.
• The Baroque interior with stucco and paintings by Baltazar Fontana — the Last Judgement in the dome and the glory of Saints Clare, Salomea and Kinga in the chancel.
• The boat-shaped pulpit, the high altar with a painting of St Andrew and the 18th-century organ.
• The east apse, decorated with pilaster strips and an arcaded frieze, and the adjoining 14th-century Gothic chapel, now the sacristy.

Did you know?

• The convent treasury holds a Byzantine-style mosaic icon of the Virgin from around 1200 and some of the oldest Nativity figures in Poland, from the early 14th century, probably a gift from Elizabeth, sister of King Casimir the Great. The convent library includes a late Romanesque gradual from the 13th century.
• Because of its defensive character, the church was sometimes called "the lower castle", as opposed to the "upper castle" on Wawel.
• The west portal originally looked different — the outline of a walled-up Romanesque doorway is still visible in the masonry.

Tripto tip

The church is an active place of worship, and the convent is enclosed. Mass is said daily at 7:00, with an additional Mass at 10:00 on Sundays and holy days; no regular sightseeing schedule is published, so visit outside services and, for a longer visit, phone the convent first. Allow 20–30 minutes. The church stands on the Royal Route, a few minutes from Wawel, right next to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul — for the best photo of the Romanesque façade, stand on the opposite side of Grodzka Street early in the morning, before the crowds arrive.