Kościół pw. Świętego Idziego
Churches of Kraków
Church (Roman Catholic), Stare Miasto district. Date according to Wikidata: 11th century. A listed monument (heritage register). Run by: Zakon Kaznodziejski.
History
According to tradition, the Dominican church on Grodzka Street, at the foot of Wawel Hill, dates back to the end of the 11th century. It is said to have been founded by Duke Władysław Herman in thanksgiving for the birth of his son, Bolesław the Wrymouth, for whose coming he had prayed and made offerings at the abbey of St Gilles in Provence. However, no traces of a Romanesque building have been found beneath today's Gothic church. Some researchers therefore suppose that the dedication to St Giles was originally held by the present Church of St Andrew, and that a Gothic church stood on Grodzka Street from the start.
This Gothic building was erected in the first half of the 14th century. It was cared for first by the Benedictines and later by the Dominicans. Archaeological research in 2015 uncovered old stone paving beneath the floor, as well as the remains of a pillar foundation in the middle of the nave. This confirmed the supposition that the church originally had two naves, with the vault supported by a single central pillar.
In 1905 Kraków City Council decided to demolish the historic buildings adjoining the church, because they were in poor condition. Among those who protested were Stanisław Wyspiański, Leon Wyczółkowski and Konstanty Laszczka. The dispute ended after a letter of 24 November 1905 in which Helfert, president of the Supreme Central Commission in Vienna, persuaded the Mayor of Kraków to withdraw the resolution. An 18th-century house with a mansard roof, connected to the church by arcades, survived. Inside, stalls of coloured marble, Pińczów limestone, sandstone and alabaster have survived. They come from the tomb of St Hyacinth, made in the 16th century by Jan Michałowicz of Urzędów. A late Gothic crucifix hangs in the chancel arch, and the vault bears 16th-century coats of arms of the Tęczyński family.
Did you know?
On the square in front of the church stands the Katyń Cross of 1990, and by the church exit hangs a bronze plaque of 1987 commemorating the oath taken by Kraków's Scouts in the year of John Paul II's pilgrimage to his homeland.