Kościół pw. Świętego Franciszka Salezego
Churches of Kraków
Church (Roman Catholic), Stare Miasto district. A listed monument (heritage register). Run by: Zakon Nawiedzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny.
History
The Visitation nuns' church and convent stand in Piasek, on the corner of Krowoderska and Biskupia Streets. The Order of the Visitation was brought to Kraków in 1681 by the Bishop of Kraków, Jan Małachowski. Construction of the church began in 1692 and was completed in 1695 to plans by Jan Solari. In 1875-1876 the church was restored by Tomasz Pryliński. The façade has no tower and is topped with a triangular gable, and the nave has a barrel vault on transverse arches.
The Baroque interior is richly decorated, and paintings survive on the walls showing scenes from the life of St Francis de Sales and of Jane de Chantal, who founded the Visitation Order. The treasury holds 18th-century textiles and liturgical vestments. The church has a painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, regarded as miraculous, which received papal crowns in 1929. It was here that August Hlond, later Primate of Poland, was ordained a priest. The heart of the founding bishop, Jan Małachowski, rests in the nuns' choir. Baroque chapels stand in the garden, including a wooden chapel with a Calvary. For forty years, from 1977 to 2017, the rector of the church was Fr Mieczysław Maliński, a well-known pastor.
Did you know?
On the convent wall there is a sundial with the inscription "Życie sen krótki" ("Life is a short dream").