St Mary's Basilica, Krakow

St. Mary's is the large brick gothic church on the main square of Krakow. It was built in the 14th century on foundations dating to the 13th century. St. Mary's is most famous for the extraordinary wooden altarpiece carved by Viet Stoss.
The 1st picture is of the church from the main square. The tower to the left is 80 meters tall, and it is from here that the bugle call is played live every hour, 24/7. The call is famous as it stops suddenly, according to legend, to commemorate a bugler who was shot through the throat with an arrow while alerting the city to a mongol attack in the 13th century.
The famous altarpiece is the 2nd picture. This triptych stands 11 meters tall and is opened and closed every day. I won't try to describe all the scenes except to say they all relate to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The 3rd picture is a wider look at the chancel to give a better sense of the scope and beauty of the church.
The 4th picture is a detail of a portion of the chancel which is painted with this repeating motif of angels. It is said that the faces of the angels are the faces of the painters 4 daughters.
The last picture was taken from the same spot as the 2nd and 3rd pictures but in the opposite direction. Here you can see the rest of the nave.Read more