Church of St Peter the Apostle in Wadowice

The Church of St Peter the Apostle in Wadowice is a parish church, built as a votive offering after Karol Wojtyła's election as pope and after he survived the assassination attempt on 13 May 1981.

Construction and design

Work began in 1984 and lasted until 1991. The church was consecrated on 14 August 1991 by John Paul II himself. The authors of the design are Jacek Gyurkovich, Ewa Węcławowicz-Gyurkovich and Przemysław Szafer. The building has a postmodern and symbolic form, and the red tiles in the floor form the outline of St Peter's Square.

Interior and surroundings

The church has three altars and an organ with 46 stops on three manuals. It houses a Marian sanctuary with a figure of Our Lady of Fatima, crowned by John Paul II during the consecration. Beside the church stands a bronze monument of the pope by Luciano Minguzzi, and since 2003 there has been the Way of Golgotha with stations of the cross and tablets of the Decalogue. In the town it is worth combining the visit with the Family Home of John Paul II.

Practical information

• Town: Wadowice; check the exact address and the times of services with the parish.