Crypts of Jeremi Wiśniowiecki on Święty Krzyż

Beneath the monastery on Święty Krzyż, at the top of Łysa Góra, stretch crypts holding the coffins of former monks — some of the bodies mummified naturally in the cool, damp underground. In a separate chamber lies Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, whose well-preserved body is displayed in a glass coffin.

The best-known coffin of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains

Jeremi Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki — prince of Wiśniowiec, Łubnie and Chorol, commander of the royal forces and Voivode of Ruthenia from 1646 — rests in a coffin with a glass panel through which his facial features are visible. The prince is dressed in a costume from the film „Ogniem i mieczem" (With Fire and Sword) directed by Jerzy Hoffman, and a large portrait of the ruler hangs above the coffin. For most visitors this is the highlight of the crypts.

A Benedictine abbey

The monastery was founded by the Benedictines, and its name — together with the name of the hill — derives from the relics of the Holy Cross kept here. Since 1936 the monastery has been home to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Besides the prince's crypt, visitors walk the underground corridors with open and closed monks' coffins, a practical demonstration of natural mummification.

In practice

The entrance to the crypts is by the monastery at Święty Krzyż 1, Bieliny, on the top of the best-known summit of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. Combine the visit with a walk around the abbey complex, the basilica and the viewing terraces — and in good weather with the gołoborza, the stone debris fields on the slopes of the mountain.