Church of the Conversion of St Paul in Kraków

The Church of the Conversion of St Paul on Stradomska Street is a late Baroque church of the Missionaries, standing right next to Wawel Hill and Kazimierz.

History

The Missionaries came to Kraków in 1682 through the efforts of Bishop Jan Małachowski. Construction of the church began in 1719 to a design by Kacper Bażanka and was completed in 1728, and the consecration took place in 1732. The façade remained unfinished until work in 1960.

Interior

Bażanka placed mirrors inside that optically enlarge the space and even out the light. The dark marble high altar from 1761-1762 is decorated with paintings attributed to Tadeusz Kuntze, and the figures of the apostles are the work of Antoni Frączkiewicz. The church holds a portrait of Stephen Báthory from 1583 by Marcin Kober, which comes from Wawel Cathedral. The ceiling polychromy of 1862-1864 was directed by Izydor Jabłoński.

Nearby

It is about 300 m to Wawel Royal Castle, and the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology lies less than a kilometre further on.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Stradomska 4, Kraków (some sources give number 6).
• The church is active as a monastery church; check service times on the Missionaries' website.