The Wawel Cathedral (Polish: Katedra Wawelska), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Wenceslaus, (Polish: Bazylika archikatedralna św. Stanisława i św. Wacława) is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it is part of the Wawel Castle Complex and is a national sanctuary which served as the coronation site of Polish monarchs.
The current Gothic cathedral is the third edifice on this site; the first was constructed and destroyed in the 11th century and the second one, constructed in the 12th century, was destroyed by a fire in 1305. The construction of the existing church began in the 14th century on the orders of Bishop Nanker. Over time, the building was expanded by successive rulers resulting in its versatile and eclectic architectural composition. There are examples of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical and Neogothic elements in the cathedral's façade and interior. The exterior is adorned by side chapels and representative mausoleums, most notable being the golden-domed Sigismund's Chapel.
It is the official seat of the Archbishop of Kraków and of the Archdiocese of Kraków. A symbol of Polish statehood and faith, the cathedral hosts important religious events and annual celebrations. Karol Wojtyła, who in 1978 became Pope John Paul II, the day after his ordination to the priesthood offered his first Mass as a priest at the Wawel Crypt on 2 November 1946, and was ordained Kraków's auxiliary bishop in the cathedral on 28 September 1958.[1]
^George Weigel (2005). Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II. Harper Perennial. p. 81. ISBN 0-06-073203-2.
The WawelCathedral (Polish: Katedra Wawelska), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Wenceslaus, (Polish: Bazylika...
national importance, including the WawelCathedral where Polish monarchs were crowned and buried. Some of Wawel's oldest stone buildings can be traced...
The Wawel Dragon (Polish: Smok Wawelski), also known as the Dragon of Wawel Hill, is a famous dragon in Polish legend. According to the earliest account...
III of Poland, one of very few Polish Kings to be buried outside the WawelCathedral in Kraków, and last Queen of Poland Maria Josepha. It is also burial...
Poniatowski, was crowned at St. John's Cathedral in Warsaw. Most Polish coronations took place at the WawelCathedral in Kraków, but crownings also occurred...
Castle and the Wawel Cathedral - in the north-west corner of Wawel's courtyard. The Wawel Chakra, or Wawel Stone, or Wawel Lotus or Wawel Power Place is treated...
the largest of the five bells hanging in the Sigismund Tower of the WawelCathedral in the Polish city of Kraków. It was cast in 1520 by Hans Behem and...
to divine inspiration during her long prayers before a crucifix in WawelCathedral. Siemowit IV of Mazovia resigned his claim to Poland in December. The...
time shortly before marriage vows. The ceremony was performed at the WawelCathedral and the wedding continued for two weeks. Bona began to plot against...
Queens of Poland. Royal coronations in Poland Royal Coronations at WawelCathedral Dukes of Greater Poland Dukes of Masovia Dukes of Pomerania Dukes of...
arrived in Kraków on 20 January 1507 and was crowned four days later in WawelCathedral by Primate Andrzej Boryszewski. The internal situation in Poland was...
Augustus' body was buried in Poland's royal WawelCathedral in Kraków, but his heart rests in the Dresden Cathedral. His only legitimate son, Augustus III...
Matejko Casimir the Great by Leopold Loeffler Casimir III's tomb at WawelCathedral Document issued by Casimir the Great granting the Armenian bishop Gregory...
gaining its independence from the steppe nomads. Casimir was interred at WawelCathedral in Kraków, in a red marble tomb sculpted by Veit Stoss. In 1973 a research...
Poland. In 1320, he became the first king of Poland crowned in Kraków's WawelCathedral instead of Gniezno. The coronation was hesitantly agreed to by Pope...
1320 the regalia of the Polish kings were kept in the treasury of the WawelCathedral. In 1370 Louis I of Hungary decided to transfer the Polish regalia...
and obesity in later life, Sobieski died in 1696 and was buried at WawelCathedral in Kraków. He was succeeded by Augustus II of Poland and Saxony. John...
there upon his death, although the rest of his body is buried at the WawelCathedral in Kraków. Inside, there are more than forty works of art dating from...
accomplished between 1507 and 1536. Berrecci also built Sigismund's Chapel at WawelCathedral. Polish magnates, Silesian Piast princes in Brzeg, and even Kraków...
remains were repatriated from Montmorency, Val-d'Oise, in France, to WawelCathedral in Kraków, Poland. Adam Mickiewicz was born on 24 December 1798, either...
the Royal Capital City of Kraków he was crowned on 27 December at WawelCathedral. Sigismund's position was solidified when Jan Zamoyski defeated Maximilian...
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