Historic sites

National Pantheon in Kraków

In the crypts of the church of Sts Peter and Paul on Grodzka Street, between the Main Square and Wawel, operates the National Pantheon — the resting place of the most eminent creators of Polish art, culture and science, and a continuation of the idea of the Crypt of the Meritorious on Skałka. The first part was opened on 27 September 2012, on the four-hundredth anniversary of the death of Fr Piotr Skarga.

Kraków's first Baroque

The church itself is a milestone of architecture: the first Baroque building in Kraków, founded by King Sigismund III Vasa for the Jesuits. Construction began in 1597, and its final shape was given in 1610–1619 by Giovanni Trevano — the author of the facade, dome and interior. The dolomite facade echoes the Roman church of Santa Susanna, and in the niches stand figures of Jesuit saints by Dawid Heel. The consecration took place in 1635.

The idea of the Pantheon

The idea was born in 2009, when the Paulines withdrew from expanding the crypt on Skałka; its initiator was Prof. Franciszek Ziejka. A letter of intent was signed on 26 January 2010, and the „National Pantheon" Foundation was established by 11 Kraków universities, the Polish Academy of Learning and the Archdiocese of Kraków. Burials are decided by the Pantheon Chapter, which includes, among others, the minister of culture, the UJ rector and the mayor of Kraków.

Who rests here

The crypts hold Fr Piotr Skarga (d. 1612), royal preacher, Bishop Andrzej Trzebicki (d. 1679), and on 17 September 2013 the urn with the ashes of the writer Sławomir Mrożek was placed here — the first burial of the new Pantheon. The entrance leads through the church interior; the visit combines well with a walk along the Royal Road.