Church of the Holy Cross in Kraków

The entire nave vault springs from a single column in the middle of the church and spreads overhead like the crown of a tree. The Church of the Holy Cross, next to the Słowacki Theatre, is one of the purest Gothic buildings in Kraków, and its walls are covered with paintings saved from oblivion by Stanisław Wyspiański. The interior is small but packed with detail – from a bronze font of 1423 to the only surviving Polish depiction of the "Mirror of the Sinner".

History: the church of the Holy Spirit friars

According to tradition, the first wooden church was founded here by Bishop Pełka at the end of the 12th century. In 1244 Bishop Jan Prandota brought in the Order of the Holy Spirit, whose friars ran a hospital for the poor and sick. The present church dates from the 14th century: first the stone chancel, then the square brick nave with its tower. For centuries it was surrounded by a churchyard, with the friary and hospital alongside – both demolished at the end of the 19th century.

In 1528 fire gutted the interior and the chancel vault probably collapsed, but by 1533 the church had been rebuilt and decorated with Renaissance wall paintings. A major restoration followed in 1896–1898 under Tadeusz Stryjeński. Damp made it impossible to save the original paintings, so the young Wyspiański copied them at full scale, and Antoni Tuch used his cartoons to create the faithful reconstruction you see today.

What to see

• The palm vault of the nave, resting on one pillar meant to symbolise the biblical Tree of Life.
• The "Mirror of the Sinner" on the east wall – an allegory of a naked old man surrounded by swords inscribed Mors, Diabolus, Peccatum and Verbum, the only such image preserved in Polish painting.
• The net vault of the chancel from 1530, with the arms of the Kingdom of Poland, the Sforza family, the Holy Spirit order and the Boner family on the bosses.
• The bronze font of 1423 and a lavabo dated 1581, now used as a holy-water stoup.
• St Sophia's Chapel, the former chapel of the bakers' guild from 1442, with a late-Renaissance confessional from the end of the 16th century – one of the oldest in Kraków.
• The Loreto Chapel with a 16th-century figure of the Sorrowful Christ, and choir stalls painted with scenes from the friars' life.

Interesting facts

The church holds a memorial to the actress Helena Modrzejewska, fitting for a building next door to a theatre. Wojciech Korfanty, the Silesian independence leader, was married here in 1903, and in April 1962 Bishop Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, gave a retreat for artists called "The Gospel and Art". On the outer chancel wall facing the Planty park, look for the sculpture of the falling Christ by Jan Szczepkowski. The stone presbytery next to the church is considered the oldest surviving residential building in Kraków.

Tripto tip

The church stands at ul. św. Krzyża 23, on the edge of the Planty, a few minutes from the Main Market Square and St Florian's Gate. It is an active parish church, so visit outside Mass and keep quiet; 20–30 minutes is enough for an unhurried look. Do not stop at the door: walk right under the central pillar and look up, because only from there can you see how the ribs fan out towards the walls. Then step into the chancel, where the coats of arms on the bosses are easy to miss in the half-light.