Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kraków

The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands at ul. Chełmońskiego 41 on the Azory estate in the Prądnik Biały district. It is the Franciscans' monastery church and also a parish church.

Construction and architecture

The foundation stone was laid on 4 May 1974 by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła. It came from the Grotto of the Annunciation in Nazareth and had been blessed by Pope Paul VI in 1973. The building was constructed in 1974-1975 in a postmodernist idiom to a design by Przemysław Gawor, Małgorzata Grabacka and Jan Grabacki. It was opened in a raw state on 15 December 1975, and the completed church was consecrated on 8 December 1979 by Cardinal Franciszek Macharski.

Interior

The church combines brick, concrete and wood. It has a single nave, one altar and an organ with twenty-four stops. The interior walls are clad in wood, which is meant to evoke a wooden church despite the brick structure. The interior is decorated with icons in the Orthodox style by the Kraków artist Jerzy Nowosielski, and the icon “Mandylion” is placed on the high altar.

Practical information

• Address: ul. J. Chełmońskiego 41, Kraków, Azory estate.
• The church is open during services; it is worth checking visiting and Mass times with the friars before your visit.