Churches & monasteries

Saints Peter and Paul Church

Kraków's first baroque building rises in the middle of Grodzka Street — it was constructed between 1597 and 1619 for the Jesuits with funding from Sigismund III Vasa. The dolomite facade was modelled on Rome's Santa Susanna, and by the fence stand statues of the twelve apostles, one of the most photogenic gateways in the city.

Apostles in Pińczów limestone

The figures were designed by Kacper Bażanka and executed in 1722 by Dawid Heel in Pińczów limestone. Acid rain destroyed the originals; the courtyard now displays modern copies by Kazimierz Jęczyk, carved from the same stone.

The pendulum and the pantheon

Inside hangs Poland's longest Foucault pendulum — 46.5 m — demonstrated on Thursdays as evidence of the Earth's rotation. Father Piotr Skarga rests in the crypts, and since 2013 a National Pantheon has been taking shape here: Sławomir Mrożek, Adam Zagajewski and Krzysztof Penderecki (2022) are among those buried.

History and a visit

After the suppression of the order in 1773 the church passed to the Commission of National Education, and between 1809 and 1815 it even served as an Orthodox church. As early as 1638 the Jesuits ran the largest choir of its time in Poland here — 80–100 singers — and the musical tradition lives on with summer early-music concerts. Twenty to thirty minutes are enough for a visit; on the way back down Grodzka you will see the facade again against the backdrop of Wawel.