Wawel Cathedral (Tomb of St. Stanislas)
The burial place of St. Stanislas.
St. Stanislas → Plan a trip hereThe Story
Wawel Cathedral — the Royal Archcathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus on Wawel Hill in Krakow — is the spiritual heart of Poland and the shrine of its principal patron, St. Stanislas (Stanislaus) of Szczepanów. Stanislas became bishop of Krakow in the eleventh century and won renown as a fearless pastor. According to the traditional account, his defense of the moral law brought him into conflict with King Bolesław II, and in 1079 the king himself struck the bishop down — tradition holds while Stanislas was celebrating Mass. Revered at once as a martyr, he was canonized in 1253 by Pope Innocent IV, and his relics were solemnly enshrined at Wawel. The present Gothic cathedral, consecrated in 1364, grew up around his shrine. At the center of the nave stands the Confession of St. Stanislas, a Baroque canopied altar sheltering the saint's silver reliquary coffin; it became known as the Altar of the Fatherland, where Polish kings — crowned and buried in this cathedral for centuries — laid their battle trophies. The cathedral thus binds together the faith and the history of the Polish nation in a single sanctuary. The cathedral is also inseparable from the memory of St. John Paul II, who offered his first Mass in its crypt in 1946 and served here as archbishop of Krakow before his election to the papacy. Pilgrims today venerate St. Stanislas at his shrine, visit the royal tombs and the great Sigismund Bell, and walk in the footsteps of the many saints associated with this church, including St. Jadwiga of Poland, whose relics also rest here.
Church Recognition
St. Stanislas was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1253 and is honored as a principal patron of Poland; the cathedral that enshrines his relics holds the rank of archcathedral basilica and is the seat of the Archdiocese of Krakow.
Catholic Teaching
St. Stanislas's martyrdom witnesses to the truth that fidelity to God's law comes before every earthly power (CCC 2473), and the veneration of his relics at the Altar of the Fatherland expresses the communion of saints commended by the Church (CCC 946–962, 1674).
Plan Your Visit
Practical
Additional Information
Pilgrims venerate the silver shrine of St. Stanislas in the center of the nave, visit the royal tombs, the crypt where St. John Paul II said his first Mass, and the Sigismund Bell tower. His feast is kept on April 11 on the General Roman Calendar, while Poland celebrates on May 8 with a traditional procession between Wawel and the Church on the Rock (Skałka), where tradition places his martyrdom.
Go Deeper
See the cathedral's official website, katedra-wawelska.pl, for its history and the shrine of St. Stanislas; read St. John Paul II's homilies on St. Stanislas and the Christian history of Poland, and Catechism of the Catholic Church 2473 on martyrdom.
Location
Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →Pilgrim Photos
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In the Area
Other sacred sites within 40 miles.