Kościół pw. Świętego Marka
Churches of Kraków
Parish church (Roman Catholic), Stare Miasto district. A parish is a community of believers tied to a particular church. A listed monument (heritage register).
History
The Gothic Church of St Mark stands at św. Marka Street 10, on the corner of Sławkowska Street. Its beginnings are linked to an order that Bolesław the Chaste brought from Prague before 1263: monks living according to the Rule of St Augustine. They were called the Marks, after the church's dedication, and also the "horned ones" because of the shape of the hats they wore. According to Jan Długosz, construction of the church began in 1263. The oldest surviving written mention of the monastery Church of St Mark the Evangelist dates from 1295.
Over the centuries the building was damaged by fire many times. Great fires broke out in 1494, 1528, 1589 and 1724, and each time the church was rebuilt, its appearance changing slightly. Research carried out during conservation work showed that it was built in two stages: the chancel is the oldest part, and the nave with its barrel vault was added at the end of the 15th century. In 1807 the Austrian government dissolved the order, and a home for retired priests, moved from St Martin's Church, was installed in the monastery. On the Sławkowska Street side part of the monastery was demolished in 1936-1938 and shops were built in its place, and in 1972-1974 the church was thoroughly renovated. It was entered in the register of historic monuments in 1974. It has Gothic architecture and an early Baroque interior.
Inside, look out for the wooden high altar, made around 1618 in the workshop of the woodcarver Baltazar Kuncz, and the heart-shaped pulpit with a cross - this sign was the emblem of the Marks, who wore it on their habits. Blessed Michał Giedroyć is buried by the high altar. Off the south aisle is the Chapel of Our Lady of Częstochowa, formerly associated with the Confraternity of St Sophia, and in the porch there is a small Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Did you know?
On the outer wall of the chancel, facing Sławkowska Street, hangs a copy of a Golgotha by Marian Paciorek. Christ hangs on a Gothic cross, with Our Lady of Sorrows and St John the Evangelist standing beside him. According to tradition, the original sculpture from the early 16th century, which once hung in the church's rood arch, spoke to Blessed Michał Giedroyć.