St. Peter and Paul Church, Kraków, Poland

The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul is a Baroque Jesuit church known best for the statues of the 12 disciples lining the fence at the front.

Commissioned for the Jesuit order, Sts. Peter and Paul was the first baroque church in Krakow. It is one of the most faithful examples of transplanting the architecture of the famous Gesu Church in Rome to foreign soil, with a fine Baroque facade and great dome.

It is said that the Jesuits spent so much money on the ornate white facade and the sculptures that they ran out of money to finish the rest of the building. Indeed, behind the impressive Baroque facade is a church made from ordinary brick.

The stone statues of the 12 Apostles on the fence, looming larger-than-life-size, are replicas of the 18th-century late Baroque originals. The latter can be seen in the side yard.

The interior is not as impressive as the exterior, but worth a look. The crypt contains the sarcophagus of Father Skarga, a famous 17th-century Jesuit preacher.

Religious sites in Poland

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ERIKA BRACHOWICZ VITERI (2 years ago)
St. Andrew's Church is one of the most beautiful temples in Poland, formerly not only masses were held but also served as a refuge during invasions. It's worth a visit!!

H Z (3 years ago)
Very detailed and interesting architecture, tunnels underneath with crypts too that were unexpected!

Meoppies (3 years ago)
Small little church worth walking in to when discovering the city if krakow.

Khozam Abourdan (4 years ago)
I love it

Paula Andreea Secareanu (4 years ago)
It’s a beautifull curch, with more memories and history!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

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St. Peter and Paul Church

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