St. Peter and Paul Church

The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul is a Baroque Jesuit church known best for the statues of the 12 disciples lining the fence at the front.

Commissioned for the Jesuit order, Sts. Peter and Paul was the first baroque church in Krakow. It is one of the most faithful examples of transplanting the architecture of the famous Gesu Church in Rome to foreign soil, with a fine Baroque facade and great dome.

It is said that the Jesuits spent so much money on the ornate white facade and the sculptures that they ran out of money to finish the rest of the building. Indeed, behind the impressive Baroque facade is a church made from ordinary brick.

The stone statues of the 12 Apostles on the fence, looming larger-than-life-size, are replicas of the 18th-century late Baroque originals. The latter can be seen in the side yard.

The interior is not as impressive as the exterior, but worth a look. The crypt contains the sarcophagus of Father Skarga, a famous 17th-century Jesuit preacher.

Address

Grodzka 52A, Kraków, Poland

Details

Founded: 1597-1619
Category: Religious sites in Poland