St Adalbert's Church (Kościół św. Wojciecha) in Kraków

The little church in the corner of Kraków's Main Market Square is older than the square itself — by roughly a century. St Adalbert's Church is one of the oldest stone churches in Poland, with walls dating back to the 11th century. That is why you walk down steps to enter it: over the centuries the square's surface was raised by 2–2.6 m, while the church stayed at its original level. A small exhibition on the history of the Market Square has been set up in its basement.

History layer by layer

Tradition says that St Adalbert (Wojciech in Polish) preached here before setting off on his mission to Prussia, and that a wooden chapel was built to commemorate his sermons. The dedication suggests the church was founded soon after Adalbert's canonisation in 999. Excavations in the 1960s uncovered remains of a stone church from the early 11th century, the time of King Bolesław the Brave. It was replaced by a Romanesque church at the end of the 11th century — its walls of dressed stone are still visible in the lower parts of the building. The church stood here before the regular market square was laid out in 1257, which is why it doesn't fit the square's grid and sits slightly askew to the surrounding frontages.

From university benefice to Baroque

In 1404, thanks to Bishop Piotr Wysz, the church became a university benefice, and in 1453 the famous Franciscan preacher John of Capistrano gave sermons here. In 1611–1618 it was remodelled in Baroque style: the walls were raised, the Romanesque masonry plastered over, the whole topped with an elliptical dome with a lantern, and a new entrance added on the west. The work was directed by Professor Walenty Fontana and Father Sebastian Mirosz. A sacristy followed in 1711, and in 1778 a chapel, dedicated from 1781 to Blessed Wincenty Kadłubek, a medieval chronicler and bishop.

What to see

• The Romanesque walls and, on the south side, a Romanesque portal with a stone threshold — exposed down to their lowest level.
• The interior with Baroque furnishings from the mid-18th century: on the high altar a 17th-century copy of the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani, on the rood beam a 15th-century crucifix.
• The dome with paintings by Eugeniusz Czuhorski and the Baroque gallery with an organ in a case from 1740.
• The chapel of Blessed Wincenty Kadłubek with a barrel vault and a painting attributed to Szymon Czechowicz.

Did you know?

The Archaeological Museum set up a small exhibition on the history of the Kraków Market Square in the church's basement. The Great and Small Weigh Houses once stood next to the church, and for centuries merchants arriving from all over Europe came here to pray. It is still a working church — the doors open straight onto the bustle of the square, and someone is usually praying inside.

Tripto tip

15 minutes is enough for the interior. Before you go in, walk around the church and compare the threshold with the level of the paving — the simplest way to see how many metres of history have built up underfoot. From the Town Hall Tower you can clearly see that the church ignores the line of the square. Check the opening hours of the basement exhibition before you visit, as they vary.