Church of St Joseph in Kraków (ul. Poselska)

The Church of St Joseph at ulica Poselska 21 is the Baroque church of the Bernardine Sisters' convent in the Old Town. Since 2016 it has been the diocesan shrine of St Joseph. It stands next to the Church of St Peter and St Paul.

Construction and interior

The present church dates from 1694-1703 and was built with the financial support of Michał Warszycki, on the site of the demolished Tęczyński palace. It was consecrated by Bishop Kazimierz Łubieński. The building has a single nave with a barrel vault. The high altar, four side altars and the pulpit were made in 1697-1699 by the woodcarver Jerzy Hankis, and the polychrome was painted in 1913 by Jan Bukowski. The high altar holds a painting of St Joseph with the boy Christ, painted in Italy in the first half of the 17th century and venerated since 1879. In a side altar stands a figure of the Colettine Infant (Dzieciątko Koletańskie), moved from a chapel demolished in 1823.

Convent and courtyard

The convent was founded in 1644 by Teresa Zadzikówna. Behind the enclosure the Renaissance cloister of the former Lanckoroński manor has survived. The courtyard is closed off from the street by a Neo-Renaissance wall designed by Tomasz Majewski in 1840, with three gates. In the courtyard stand an arcaded loggia and a figure of the Virgin Mary on a column.

Practical information

• Address: Poselska 21, Kraków. The church is open, and the convent behind the enclosure is not open to visitors.
• The sources do not give hours for visitors, so ask about them at the convent.
• The nearest site is the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, about 300 m away.