Franciscan Church
Francis of Assisi is honored here through a Roman Catholic complex that takes shape from Kraków’s medieval turning points. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi—Kościół św. Franciszka z Asyżu—dates to the 13th century, with its Gothic structure consecrated before 1269 and expanded through 1260–1270. Its architecture develops in stages: a ribbed 13th-century vault survives from the earliest phase, while the presbytery is elongated beginning in 1401 and a cross-shaped central plan with nave arcades is added around 1420–1436. After major fires in 1462, 1476, and 1655, the most destructive one struck in 1850. This is also a spiritual landmark in the story of modern Poland. Saint Maximilian Kolbe was a friar here in 1919 and led his first service at this church upon Poland’s return to sovereignty.
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