Church of St Casimir the Prince in Kraków

The Church of St Casimir the Prince stands on ulica Reformacka, near the Planty, and forms a complex with the monastery of the Reformed Franciscans. The present Baroque church was consecrated in 1672 and entered in the heritage register in 1931.

From the first church to the consecration

The Reformed Franciscans arrived in Kraków in 1622. After the fire of their first church in Garbary during the Swedish Deluge, they settled on this spot in 1658. The main benefactor of the building was Franciszek Szembek, and the first church was founded in 1640 by Zuzanna Amendówna, who also donated a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary. Bishop Mikołaj Oborski consecrated the present church in 1672.

Interior and furnishings

The Baroque altars date from 1745-1748. The church has paintings by Daniel Schultz from about 1660-1670, by Michał Stachowicz from 1800 and 1814-1816, and by Wojciech Eljasz-Radzikowski from 1842. The frescoes on the vault were made in 1904 by Aleksander Mroczkowski. The façade is decorated with three semicircular niches with bas-reliefs of saints. The heritage register describes the building as brick, from the 17th century.

Crypts and the bell for the dying

Under the church are crypts with about a thousand burials since 1672, of which about sixty coffins are visible today. On the wall of the monastery hangs a bell for the dying from 1750.

Nearby

The church lies a few hundred metres from the Planty Park. On the way you can look in at the Czartoryski Museum or the Bagatela Theatre.

Practical information

• Address: Reformacka 4, Kraków, Old Town.
• The church is active, managed by the Reformed Franciscan order. Check service times and the possibility of entering the crypts with the parish before your visit.