POLAND, KRAKOW: ST. MARY'S BASILICA

June 25, 2019

We had tried to get inside St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow's Old Town several times but had not been successful. On our very last evening in Krakow, we were finally successful, and it was definitely worth the effort.

But first, some background. That's the Basilica on the right. Can you tell what the building on the left is?

It's that bastion of European culture, a Hard Rock Cafe, the perfect companion for a basilica. And what is that in between Hard Rock and St. Mary's that everyone is sitting on?

It's called The Student Statue. Yeah, he looks about as awake as most of my students on a Monday morning.

In the foreground of that first photo is a brass model of the basilica. According to text on its base, "St. Mary's Basilica was built in the 14th century on the foundations of an older temple. The Basilica is crowned with two towers: from the taller one, known as the Hejnalica, the famous bugle-call is played every hour." The music always breaks off abruptly in the middle to commemorate a legendary 13th century trumpeter who was shot with an arrow in the throat while warning the city of a Mongol attack. The residents were able to get the gates shut in time, but eventually the Mongols invaded and destroyed the church. Gruesome, huh?

The church standing in the square today was rebuilt between 1355 and 1397 to look more or less like the old one, with the side chapels added in the early 1400s. No one could leave well enough alone, so one tower was raised and adorned with a crown, and in the 18th century the interior was redecorated in the Baroque style, and then in the late 19th century neo-Gothic elements were added.

Also in the square is this pop-out head of Stanislaw Wispianski (1869-1907), a Polish poet, playwright, painter, interior designer, and furniture designer known for joining folk tradition with modernism. I must say, I LOVE how Poland honors their artists! Why is he in THIS spot? Because he created some of the brilliant stained glass in the basilica.

Speakiing of art, how about this doorknob? I can't remember if it's the one on the door to the basilica, but I sure wish I could get one for my home! In we go . . .

. . . and WOW. Definitely worth coming back to over and over until we got inside. 

I started at one of the smaller altars (size is relative here) and made my way around the interior. This crucifix was sculpted in the 15th century from sandstone.

The main nave is over 90 feet high and covered in a cross-ribbed vault. The transept is almost as dramatic.

No surprise that this church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Krakow Old Town.

The most famous work of art in the basilica is a huge (42' x 36') 15th-century altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss. The largest Gothic altarpiece in the world, it is a Polish national treasure. Just before the German occupation, the Poles dismantled the altar and hid it in pieces in various locations around the country. The Nazis searched out the pieces, however, and shipped them all to the Third Reich. Can you imagine how the Poles felt about that? Luckily, it survived the war and was discovered in good condition in 1946 hidden in the basement of the Nuremberg Castle, which had been heavily bombed during the war. It was restored and replaced.

Unfortunately for us, most of the altarpiece was out for restoration yet again. What was there were these four figures:

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is kneeling in the center. She is dying. Caring for her are three of the Twelve Apostles (the other nine were gone for rehab). The apostles stand more than 12 feet high, and each one is carved from the trunk of a linden tree. In all, there are over 200 sculpted figures. It must be a spectacular scene when it's all in place.

Here is what this part of the altarpiece looks like when it's all there--and this is just a portion of it.  (Photo from here.)

Actually, these figures don't look the same as the ones in my photo, making me think what we saw were just place holders, copies to give tourists and worshipers and idea of what is usually there.

Small pieces from other areas of the altar are also on display. Maybe these are also place-holding copies?

I love this one. The sorrow on John the Beloved's face is amazing, even if it is just a copy.

I hope someday I get to come back when all the pieces are in place. It must be quite something.

You get a sense of the size of the basilica from the picture on the left below. Those tiny figures at the very bottom of the photo are the 12-foot figures of the Apostles with Mary.  The crucified Christ hanging above must be twice as tall as they are.

Ah, Poland. I love you!

I started counting the angels, but there were too many to keep track of.

My mother described these "roofs" over the pulpit as "the hand of God" protecting the bishop (or cardinal or Pope).

And now for some comic relief. Is it significant that this sign is placed in front of the confessional?

I see someone I recognize. Walk closer . . . 

. . . and you'll see the ubiquitous face of the Polish Pope, John Paul II.

I would have loved to have heard the organ playing while I walked around looking at these masterpieces. Maybe next time.

Balcony seats for the rich and famous:

A photo take from further back:

Close-ups of a few of the panels:

There are something like twenty altars in this church. Here is another one undergoing restoration. There is such detail in the stained glass windows behind it. I wish I had taken better photos of them!

Even the side exit door is something special. Look closely at the hinges--they are the Polish eagle.

And imagine the skill it took to carve this door:

If there is mass in St. Mary's when you visit Krakow and you can't go inside and walk around, go to Mass and enjoy the beauty of the worship service (I wish we had), but go back as many times as it takes to get some time to wander and wonder at this magnificent church.

Ah, but wait. Lest you forget that this radiant, riotously colorful tribute to Mary started out as a Gothic church, just outside the exit is this charming statue . . .

. . . with its very Gothic base.

By the way (and unrelated to the Gothic tomb above), a key historical event that happened here was the April 18, 2010, funeral mass for Polish President Lech Kaczyńska and his wife Maria, who were on a plane carrying 96 passengers that crashed en route to Russia to commemorate the Katyn massacre. Many of the passengers were top public and military figures. There were no survivors. The President and his wife were ultimately buried in Wawel Castle.

READING

When I was in elementary school, our public library had a Newbery Award winner shelf, and I made a goal to read every one of the books that made it to that privileged spot. 

When I read the 1929 winner, The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly, I remember that I liked it, but not enough to pick it up again until this year, when I read it again in preparation for this trip.

I don't think it is a book my granddaughters would like. The language and style is even further from their reading experiences than it was from mine in the late 1960s or early 1970s, when the book was just 40 years old. However, this time around, with a little travel experience and cultural appreciation under my belt, I think I enjoyed it more than I did the first time I read it.

The story takes place in 1461, more than 200 years after the Mongol invasion and the arrow-through-the-throat that killed the legendary trumpeter. The story is told by a 15-year-old boy named Joseph, whose father becomes the latest trumpeter. New dangers are threatening the beautiful city of Krakow, including thieves who are out to find the famous Tarnov Cystal, which is said to have magic powers, and which is being hidden by Joseph's family. 

I can't tell you anymore or it will spoil the story, but this is a very fun read if you are visiting Krakow.