Wawel Hill, Royal Cathedral

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Wawel Hill, Royal Cathedral

aka the Archcathedral of SS Venceslas and Stanislaus

Vicar Tower in left foreground, Clock Tower in left background, Sigusmund Tower in right background. Sigismund Chapel in right foreground with gold dome and the Vasa Chapel next to it, almost hidden by a tree.

A major player in Polish history, this cathedral has witnessed over 30 coronation ceremonies of Polish kings throughout the ages. It consists of many chapels, the most prominent of which is the one with a gold covered dome, named after King Zygmund (Sigismund). Inside, there are plenty of attractions including a splendid interior sponsored by local aristocrats, marble tombs around the main altar as well as in the crypts underground and a tall bell tower with a fantastic panorama of the city.

The church was expanded and restructured many times, especially from the 12th to the 14th century. On its earliest forms was the romanesque temple, built by the first King of Poland, Boleslaus Chrobry (the Brave), and the earliest preserved part of the Cathedral is the Crypt of St Leonard. The Cathedral is a place of coronations and burials of Polish kings; apart from members of royal families, its crypts contain graves of eminent Poles: poets Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Slowacki, and military leaders Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Jozef Pilsudski, and Wadyslaw Sikorski. In mid-13th century the confession of St Stanislaus was put up in the centre of the church. The Sigismund Bell peals from the Zygmuntowska Tower, its majestic sound accompanying only the most significant events.

Photo 743, May 2007