Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Gothic church of swirling Art Nouveau stained glass, where a future pope once prayed each morning at dawn.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Kraków starts with a single pew marked by a brass plaque, where the future Pope John Paul the Second prayed alone before dawn while he served as Kraków's archbishop, drawn by a stained-glass window he could see from his own bedroom across the street. It follows that window, called God the Father, back to Stanisław Wyspiański, the painter and poet who filled this Gothic church with color around 1904. You'll hear how a fire in 1850 erased even the records of when the church was founded. Look up at the choir window as you enter.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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