Kościół pw. Bożego Miłosierdzia
Churches of Kraków
Church (Roman Catholic and Armenian Catholic), Stare Miasto district. Architect: Jan Sas Zubrzycki. A listed monument (heritage register).
History
The Church of Divine Mercy stands in Nowy Świat, at the corner of Felicjanek and Smoleńsk Streets. It was built after 1555 to fulfil the last wishes of Jan Żukowski of Bystrzyca. At first, until the end of the 16th century, it was a wooden building. The brick church was built with contributions from the faithful in 1626-1629, and since 1649 it has belonged to a prebend of the cathedral chapter on Wawel Hill. In 1655 the church was damaged during the Swedish Deluge, but it was quickly rebuilt. It was solemnly consecrated in 1665 by the auxiliary bishop of Kraków, Mikołaj Oborski.
The Baroque, east-facing building has a three-bay nave and a slightly narrower chancel with an arched end. In 1905-1910 it was thoroughly renovated to a design by the architect Jan Sas-Zubrzycki. The stained glass windows were funded in 1908 by the Association of Restaurant Owners and the Waiters' Mutual Aid Society. They were destroyed in 1945 and restored in 1947. They show Saints Hedwig of Silesia, Michael the Archangel, Adalbert, Stanislaus the Bishop and Casimir, as well as the scene of the Miraculous Draught of Fishes. The high altar of 1655 holds a crucifix covered by a 17th-century painting of the Crucifixion. The side altars are decorated with paintings: the Education of Mary from the early 19th century and Our Lady with the Child, known as Our Lady of the Snows.
Did you know?
One of the plaques in the church shows how high the waters of the Vistula rose during the great flood of 1813.