Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

The Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is a 13th-century Franciscan church in Kraków's Old Town, best known for the Art Nouveau interior that the painter Stanislaw Wyspianski created inside its medieval walls. People visit to stand under his stained glass and floral polychrome, above all the towering window of God the Father over the main entrance, which together rank among the finest works of the Young Poland art movement.

The single work most visitors come to see is the stained-glass window titled 'God the Father - Arise (Let There Be!)', set high above the main entrance. Wyspianski designed it in the years around 1900 to 1904, and instead of showing the Creator as a calm enthroned figure, he caught him in a burst of movement, robes swirling around him at the instant of creation. The composition reads almost like a whirlwind of colour, and its energy is what sets it apart from the quieter religious glass elsewhere in Poland.

Beyond the famous window, Wyspianski painted the church's polychrome decoration from 1895, covering the walls with floral and geometric patterns that turn the interior into a continuous flowing design. He also designed further stained-glass windows for the church around 1900 to 1904. The combined effect makes the basilica one of the most important surviving expressions of Young Poland, the artistic movement that reshaped Polish painting, design and theatre at the turn of the 20th century.

The Franciscans founded the church in the 13th century, and it remains an active place of worship rather than a museum, which is worth remembering when you visit. Because the building is genuinely old, the contrast with Wyspianski's late-19th and early-20th century decoration is part of the appeal: modern colour and movement laid over medieval Gothic structure. Times for quiet visiting can overlap with services, so check the parish's official channels before you plan a specific hour.

The basilica sits in the Old Town directly opposite the Bishop's Palace, a short walk from the Main Market Square, so it slots easily into a day of sightseeing without a detour. It suits anyone interested in art history, stained glass or the Young Poland period, and it makes a natural pairing with the square's larger landmarks. For more on the surrounding district and how to link the sights together, see our Kraków guide.