Kościół pw. Świętego Wojciecha Biskupa i Męczennika
Churches of Kraków
Church (Roman Catholic), Stare Miasto district. Date according to Wikidata: 11th century. A listed monument (heritage register).
History
St Adalbert's Church stands on the Main Market Square in Kraków. According to tradition, St Adalbert himself preached on this spot, and a small wooden church was built to commemorate the event. The dedication may suggest that the church was built soon after the saint's canonisation in 999.
Archaeological research beneath the present building uncovered the remains of a stone church from the beginning of the 11th century, from the time of Bolesław the Brave. It was replaced by another, Romanesque church from the end of the 11th century, from the time of Bolesław the Bold. Fragments of its walls can be seen in the lower parts of today's building.
In 1404, thanks to Bishop Piotr Wysz Radoliński, the church became a university prebend. In 1453 John of Capistrano preached here. In 1611-1618 the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style under the direction of Professor Walenty Fontana and Fr Sebastian Mirosz: the walls were raised, the whole was covered with a dome, the Romanesque walls were plastered and a new entrance was added on the west side. In 1711 a sacristy was added, and in 1778 the chapel of Blessed Wincenty Kadłubek.
The church has a single nave and is covered with an elliptical dome decorated with paintings by Eugeniusz Czuhorski. The high altar holds a 17th-century copy of the painting of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani (Santa Maria Maggiore), and the rood arch a 15th-century crucifix. The Kadłubek chapel contains a painting of him attributed to Szymon Czechowicz.
Did you know?
An exhibition on the history of the Market Square has been set up in the church's underground rooms. The remains of the Romanesque building from the end of the 11th century can also be seen in the lower parts of the walls.