St. Florian's Church

The Collegiate Church of St. Florian (Kosciol sw. Floriana w Krakówie) stands at the northern end of Matejko Square and the former centre of the mediaeval city of Kleparz, now a district of Kraków.

The Church of St. Florian was built between 1185 and 1216. It was consumed by fire numerous times in the 12th, 16th and 17th centuries. Notably, during the Swedish siege of Kraków, General Stefan Czarniecki ordered that the city suburbs be burned down. However, during the city-wide fire of 1528 which consumed a considerable part of Kraków, the church — containing the relics of the Saint — was miraculously saved. Since then St. Florian, usually portrayed as a Roman legion's officer carrying water, was revered in Poland as a patron saint of firefighters and chimneysweepers.

The present appearance of the church is the result of a Baroque rebuilding that followed the Polish-Swedish wars. Since the 16th century the church has been the University Collegiate. The coronation route began there with the rector of the Senate of the University welcoming new kings. The church was also the starting point for royal funeral processions to the Wawel Cathedral.

{hoto 815, May 2007