St. Mary's Church on Market Square in Krakow.

Getty Images

St Mary's Basilica

Top choice in Kraków


This striking brick church, best known simply as St Mary’s, is dominated by two towers of different heights. The first church here was built in the 1220s and following its destruction during a Tatar raid, construction of the basilica began. Tour the exquisite interior, with its remarkable carved wooden altarpiece, and in summer climb the tower (adult/concession 15/10zł) for excellent views. Don't miss the hourly hejnał (bugle call) from the taller tower.

The main church entrance, through a baroque portal added to the southwestern facade in the 1750s, is used by worshippers; tourists must enter through the side door to the southeast.

The chancel is illuminated by magnificent stained-glass windows dating from the late 14th century; the blue star vaulting of the nave is breathtaking. On the opposite side of the church, above the organ loft, is a fine art nouveau stained-glass window by Stanisław Wyspiański and Józef Mehoffer. The colourful wall paintings, designed by Jan Matejko, harmonise beautifully with the medieval architecture and are an appropriate background for the high altar, which is acclaimed as the greatest masterpiece of Gothic art in Poland and allegedly designated the eighth wonder of the world by Pablo Picasso.

The altarpiece is a pentaptych (an altarpiece consisting of a central panel and two pairs of side wings), intricately carved in lime wood, then painted and gilded. The main scene, visible when the pentaptych is open, represents the Dormition (or Assumption) of the Virgin surrounded by the Apostles. The outside has a dozen sections portraying scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin. The altarpiece is topped with the Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven and, on both sides, the statues of the patron saints of Poland, St Stanislaus and St Adalbert.

Measuring about 13m high and 11m wide, the pentaptych is the country's largest and most important piece of medieval art. It took a decade for its maker, Veit Stoss (known in Poland as Wit Stwosz), to complete this monumental work before it was consecrated in 1489.

The pentaptych is opened daily at precisely 11.50am and closed at 5.30pm, except for Saturday when it’s left open for the Sunday-morning mass. The altarpiece apart, don’t miss the delicate crucifix on the baroque altar in the head of the right-hand aisle, another work by Veit Stoss, and the still larger crucifix placed on the rood screen, attributed to pupils of the master.

Transportation

  • tram: 1, 6, 8, 13, 18

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kraków attractions

1. Church of St Barbara

0.03 MILES

This sombre 14th-century church is located on the small, charming Plac Mariacki, which was a churchyard until the early 19th century. St Barbara’s was the…

2. Hipolit House

0.04 MILES

Next to St Mary’s Basilica, this branch of the Kraków City History Museum contains faithful recreations of townhouse interiors from the 17th to early 19th…

3. Rynek Underground

0.07 MILES

This fascinating attraction beneath the market square consists of an underground route through medieval market stalls and other long-forgotten chambers…

5. Church of St Adalbert

0.08 MILES

This small church on the southern corner of the Main Market Square is usually regarded as the city's oldest place of worship, with a history that…

6. Cloth Hall

0.09 MILES

Dominating the centre of the Main Market Square, this building was once the heart of Kraków’s medieval clothing trade. Created in the early 14th century…

7. Main Market Square

0.11 MILES

The vast Main Market Square is the focus of the Old Town, and is Europe's largest medieval town square (200m by 200m). Its most prominent features are the…

8. Town Hall Tower

0.13 MILES

Southwest of the Cloth Hall, this soaring tower is all that is left of the 15th-century town hall which was dismantled in the 1820s. The 70m-tall tower…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "poland/krakow/old-town/attractions/st-mary-s-basilica/a/poi-sig/420023/1342665",
      "destination": "Kraków",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Poland",
      "city": "Kraków",
      "position": "superzone"
    }