Church of the Bernardine Fathers in Cracow

Medals available for purchase at the entrance!

The Church of St. Bernardine of Siena and the Bernardine Monastery are located at the foot of Wawel Hill, on the corner of Bernardyńska and Stradom Streets.

The brick and partially stone church is a three-nave basilica with a transept, a dome at the crossing, and two towers. The three-bay chancel is flanked by annexes: on the south side, the Chapel of St. Anne and the sacristy, and on the north side, the Chapel of Blessed Simon of Lipnica and a small storage room. A quadrangular complex of monastery buildings adjoins the church from the west.

The church was built in the second half of the 17th century (1659–1680) on the site of a Bernardine temple destroyed during the Swedish wars. It has not undergone major reconstruction but has been renovated several times throughout history. However, the interior furnishings have been significantly altered.

Major restoration work on the interior was carried out in the second half of the 19th century, in the 1920s, and between 1967 and 1969. These works changed the color scheme of the walls and altars.

The current renovation and conservation work on the Bernardine Monastery complex began with the façade. Between 1998 and 2001, the front and side elevations of the church and monastery along Bernardyńska Street were restored.

Work on the church interior began in 2003 with the conservation of the Chapel of Blessed Simon of Lipnica, which houses the relics of the future saint. The 17th-century marble altar and the tomb of Blessed Simon were restored, along with the altarpiece painted by Jan Gotthard Brekhoff and a painting in the southern wall niche depicting Simon praying, surrounded by 11 scenes from his life.