St Barbara's Church in Kraków

Most visitors in St Mary's Square look up at the towers of St Mary's Basilica — and walk straight past the smaller church on the other side of the square. Yet St Barbara's holds a stone Pietà from the late 14th century, a carved Garden of Gethsemane from the circle of Veit Stoss and the grave of the Bible translator Jakub Wujek. It is also a church where Mass is said in German every Sunday — a tradition with a long history behind it.

History: a chapel in a cemetery

The oldest document dates from 5 September 1338: the town council asked Pope Benedict XII for indulgences for visitors to a cemetery chapel founded by Mikołaj Wierzynek. St Mary's Square was then the parish graveyard. In 1394–1402 the chapel was extended by two bays, probably thanks to a foundation by Queen Jadwiga. In the 16th century, when German-speaking burghers dominated St Mary's, Polish sermons were preached at St Barbara's; in 1536/37 King Sigismund the Old ordered a swap — the Poles returned to St Mary's and the Germans moved here.

In 1583 the church was handed over to the Jesuits, and Father Piotr Skarga preached here. After the order was suppressed in 1773, the church was run by the Merchants' Congregation and from 1796 by the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre. The Jesuits returned in 1874 and are still here today.

What to see

• The Ogrojec (Garden of Gethsemane) — the former cemetery chapel in front of the entrance, with a carved group of Christ's Agony in the Garden attributed to Veit Stoss or his workshop and late Gothic wall paintings.
• The Pietà — a stone sculpture from the last decade of the 14th century, linked to the circle of the Master of the Beautiful Madonnas.
• The high altar of 1760–1764 with a Gothic crucifix from around 1420.
• The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows of 1609, with the painting of Our Lady of Jurowicze brought from Polesia in 1886 and a dome added in 1913.
• Epitaphs set into the outer walls, including the Renaissance one of Anna and Jerzy Pipan.

The interior was remodelled in Baroque style in 1688–1692, and the bell turret on the roof is attributed to Francesco Placidi. Father Jakub Wujek is buried beneath the church; his translation of the Bible was used in Poland for more than three centuries.

Did you know?

After 1945 German-language services in Kraków stopped for more than half a century. Since 1997, Mass in German has again been celebrated at St Barbara's on Sundays and holidays — according to the parish website at 14:30. The Rieger organ dates from 1894 and has 16 stops, and the two bells were cast in 1589 and 1595.

Tripto tips

The church is at Mały Rynek 8, and the main entrance through the Ogrojec is on the St Mary's Square side. It is a working church with Masses on weekdays at 16:00, 18:00 and 20:00 and throughout the day on Sundays, so visit between services and quietly. Twenty minutes is enough for the Ogrojec and the interior, and the visit combines easily with St Mary's Basilica and a stroll across Mały Rynek. In summer, check the church's website for sacred music concerts.