Paris1972-Versailles2003

As in any city I visit, walking is a must and I did walk sometimes not even remembering where lol! After passing by the main areas for tourists I saw several nice monuments with a lot history in Krakow, and this one for sure need to be back!  I like to tell you a bit about the Basilica Church of the Holy Trinity and the Dominican Monastery of Krakow !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

What better way to tell a country than by its religious monuments and Krakow ,Poland has them deep in their roots. This is a separate post on a previous post of many but felled they deserve a post of their own, Let me give my brief contribution to the Basilica Church of the Holy Trinity and the Dominican Monastery.

The Basilica Church of the Holy Trinity and the Dominican Monastery are located at 12 Stolarska street and Dominikanska street ,situated on the eastern edge of the Old Town , Built in a gothic style, it also houses a monastery of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). Its history dates from the year 1223. This is a large Dominican church of the Holy Trinity ,and is a fine example of the Krakow version of Gothic architecture. It dates back to the mid-13C and has been the stronghold of the Black Friars ever since. In 1957 Pope Pius XII has granted the title of a minor basilica to the Church of the Holy Trinity. The vast Dominican monastery that adjoins the church was founded by Saint Jacek Odrowaz, better known abroad under his Latin name Hyacinth or San Jacinto in Spanish, who died in Krakow in 1257 and whose relics are enshrined at the church in an upstairs sanctuary-chapel. Standing previously on this spot was the parish Church of the Holy Trinity. It was entrusted to the Dominicans on their arrival in the city in 1222, and the parish was transferred to St Mary’s Church. After the demolition by the Tatars in the mid-13C, the construction of a new Gothic church began and it lasted for several decades. A highlight of the church is the upstairs renaissance  Chapel of St Hyacinth , modelled on the Sigismund Chapel in Wawel.  

The tragic fire that destroyed a large portion of the city in 1850 also affected the Dominican Church. After reconstruction it acquired a stylised front porch that conceals the original Gothic entrance decorated with delicate vegetal ornamentation. The 14C cloisters adjacent to the church are adorned with portraits of bishops hailing from the Dominican Order and epitaphs transferred from the cemetery that was once situated by the church cloisters with fragments of 13C architecture, refectory with a late Romanesque crypt Gothic, renaissance, and baroque chapels; with the late-renaissance ones of St Hyacinth and Gonzaga Myszkowski family especially worth a visit, In 1289 Duke Leszek II the Black, the ruler of Poland from 1279, was buried next to the high altar of the church of the Holy Trinity. In the ensuing centuries it became popular among Poland’s aristocrats as a burial ground, which has resulted in number of mausoleum-chapels. Most interesting of them is the Chapel of St. Dominic , also known as the Chapel of the Myszkowskis , the last but one in the right-hand aisle, which dates from 1614 and can boast bas-relief portraits of 16 members of the Gonzaga-Myszkowski family who were buried here. In 1642 a picture of Saint Dominic was placed in the chapel’s altar and it soon became famous for miracles. Hyacinth , a Catholic saint, is buried in the church as well as Polish monarch Leszek II the Black ,and Renaissance humanist Filippo Buonaccorsi. A late-Gothic bronze slab commemorating Filippo de Buonacorsi (known as Callimachus), teacher of the sons of King Casimir the Jagiellon has been preserved inside.

The Chapel of St. Hyacinth overlooks the nave of the Basilica Church of the Holy Trinity. It’s reached by broad, easy stairs alongside the wall of the left-hand aisle of the church. A grille secures St. Hyacinth’s richly decorated mausoleum of 1700 and the glorious baroque altar/tomb with his relics standing in the middle of the room. According to tradition the chapel was originally the monastery cell where Saint Jacek lived in the 13C. Better known abroad under his Latin name Hyacinth, he was born in 1183 to a Polish aristocratic family and died in Krakow in 1257. This first Polish Dominican friar ever earned himself a reputation of being the Apostle of the North on the strength of his extensive missionary work in Carinthia, Moravia, Bohemia, Russia, and Prussia. He also helped to establish the Dominican monastery in Krakow as early as 1222.

The Basilica Church of the Holy Trinity has been known for its sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary since 1668. It’s located in the 17C Chapel of the Rosary with its entrance at the far end of the right-hand aisle of the church. Since 1668 the chapel has enshrined the miraculous picture of Our Lady of the Rosary, placed in the high altar of the chapel. The painting is a copy of the famous image called Salus Populi Romani, worshipped in Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Another image of Madonna, placed in one of the side altars of the Chapel of the Rosary , depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary dressed in a frock of a Dominican nun. It was brought from Rome to Krakow in the 18C and for a long time compared favorably with the picture of Our Lady of the Rosary in the number of reported miracles.

The Basilica Church of the Holy Trinity abuts one of three cloisters of the vast Dominican monastery which extends to the north. The 14C cloister is accessible both from the left-hand aisle of the church and through the monastery gate at Stolarska street. The spacious cloister exhibits historic pictures showing miracles that involved the Black Friars and scenes from the history of the Dominican Order as well as portraits of Dominican monks who were Polish bishops in the 13-15C. For many decades the Dominican monastery and basilica have been particularly popular with Krakow students who find here spiritual guidance, intellectual stimulation, and place where they can engage in good works of all kinds.

The official Dominican Monastery of Krakow : https://krakow.dominikanie.pl/historia/

The Poland national tourist office on the Dominican Monastery : https://visitmalopolska.pl/en_GB/obiekt/-/poi/bazylika-trojcy-swietej-oo-dominikanow-sanktuarium-matki-bozej-rozancowej-krakow

The Krakow tourist office on things to see: https://visitkrakow.com/sightseeing-in-krakow/

There you go folks, I feel better to have a post on this church on a post of its own,fully deserving, me think. The visit to Krakow was very nice and looking forward one of these days to be back, eventually. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Basilica Church of the Holy Trinity and the Dominican Monastery as I,

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!