Wawel Royal Cathedral, Kraków |
Kraków Poland Building Photos
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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
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Wawel Hill, The towers of The Royal Cathedral
Photo 636, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, part of Cathedral
Photo 727, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, part of Cathedral
Photo 728, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, part of Cathedral
Photo 729, May 2007
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Wawel Hill. Gold dome is Sigismund Chapel
Photo 731, May 2007
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Wawel Hill. Gold dome is Sigismund Chapel
Photo 734, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, Cathedral
Photo 742, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, Cathedral, Zygmunt Bell
Photo 747, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, Royal Tombs, Crypt of the National Poets
Photo 761, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, Royal Tombs
Photo 762, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, Cathedral
Photo 764, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, Cathedral
Photo 765, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, Cathedral interior
Photo 770, May 2007
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Wawel Hill, Cathedral interior
Photo 773, May 2007
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