Accommodation near Basilica of the Body of Christ Cracow

Basilica of the Body of Christ

The Corpus Christi Basilica (also known as the Basilica Bożego Ciała in Polish), located in Kraków district of Kazimierz, Poland; is a Gothic church founded by King Casimir III the Great in 1335.

History

The Basilica was erected in stages beginning in 1340 until about the mid-15th century. It was intended as a monastery-church, which explains the large-size plot on which it stands, and the presence of a monastic cemetery next to it. In 1404 King Władysław II Jagiełło had given it to the Canons Regular of the Lateran congregation brought in from Kłodzko.

Interior

The interior of the church is a mixture of Polish Gothic and impressive Polish Baroque architecture; with structural features such as the marvelous Baroque high altar, a boat-shaped pulpit (1750), and the organ. The church was robbed clean and the interior utterly devastated by soldiers of the 1655 Swedish invasion (the Deluge), which explains the prevalence of Baroque in its current decoration. The church is often said to be one of the most beautiful Baroque stalls in Central Europe.Bartolommeo Berrecci, the famous Renaissance artist who designed the Sigismund's Chapel at Wawel, is buried there.