The Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Wenceslaus, located on Wawel Hill in Kraków, is Poland’s national sanctuary and a cornerstone of its religious and royal history. Originally built in the 11th century, the current Gothic structure was consecrated in 1364 and features Renaissance and Baroque elements. It has served as the traditional site for royal coronations and burials, housing tombs of kings like Casimir the Great, John III Sobieski, and Queen Jadwiga. The cathedral contains over 20 chapels and crypts, where saints, bishops, monarchs, and cultural icons such as Mickiewicz, Słowacki, and Piłsudski are buried.
Key highlights include the Sigismund Chapel, a masterpiece of Polish Renaissance architecture, the Romanesque crypt of St. Leonard, and the Baroque Confession of St. Stanislaus, Poland’s patron saint. The side chapels honor various dynasties and bishops. The cathedral’s treasury houses priceless relics and liturgical vestments, such as St. Maurice’s lance and royal coronation garments. The complex also includes a historical chapter house and one of Poland’s oldest libraries. More than a church, the Wawel Cathedral stands as a living museum of Polish identity.
- Address
Wawel, 31-001 Kraków, Poland - Web
https://www.katedra-wawelska.pl/en/ - Visiting Hours
Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 16:00. Sunday from 12:30 to 16:30 - What to see
Sigismund Chapel, Treasury, St Maurice’s lance
