Church of St. Catherine
Church of St. Catherine is perfectly represented by the Kraków Gothic. Halfway as big as a roof field, a disproportionately small turret protrudes. The temple is devoid of a magnificent tower, but that's okay, because it makes the main body more transparent, despite the various outbuildings (also of gothic origin). The main entrance to the church is not available, because it is facing the monastery gardens. The thresholds of this dignified monument can be crossed from ul. Augustiańska or Skałeczna. Entrance from ul. Augustiańska leads through the monastery cloisters. It's worth looking up, to be satisfied with the mysterious beauty of the very old (and therefore not fully preserved), medieval wall paintings. It really is, everyone can quite boldly penetrate the "back room" of the church of St.. Catherine unimpressed, that he is in a museum or other guarded place, where fees for visiting are collected. This leaves room for the imagination and the opportunity to feel into the atmosphere of distant eras. Entering the temple interior, the wide breath of space is felt. Anonymous people from the Middle Ages come to mind, who participated in building churches, cathedrals, sometimes lasting longer than the life of three generations; who wanted to enchant their ideas and great longings into the soaring and volatile form of temples. Probably entering the cosmos of the prayer houses at that time, they felt united, free and proud. Such content is suggested by the interior of the Augustinian church: it is bright thanks to the large pointed windows, bright because of the completely white walls, clean in shape due to fairly modest furnishings.
For those brought in 1342 r. from Prague to Krakow Augustinians Casimir the Great decided to build a church. The intention was fulfilled in 1363 r, and those days said, that the king wanted to atone for the murder of Fr.. Marcin Baryczka. And it was like this: Kazimierz The Great, famous for his hot temper and numerous lovers, he must have overtaken his excesses of love, and to such an extent, that the Bishop of Krakow Bodzanta himself reprimanded him. Kazimierz took offense at the bishop, and the unfortunate Baryczka – cathedral vicar, who delivered a written rebuke on behalf of Bodzanta, he ordered to be killed in a sophisticated way: put it in sackcloth and throw it under the ice on the Vistula. The body of the unlucky messenger was picked up by simple people and buried in the church of St.. Catherine, where until the 18th century. they were venerated.
Extremely ornate main altar from 1634 r. in the style of early baroque – an outstanding work of Krakow woodcarving - the wonderfully decorated stalls set in its vicinity perfectly match the light of the presbytery. In the central part of the altar there is a painting from the 17th century. zatytułowany Mistyczne zaślubiny św. Catherine. On the walls of the presbytery there are paintings depicting scenes from the life of St.. Augustine. In the northern aisle (standing facing the presbytery – on the right) attracts attention expanded, a mannerist tombstone monument of Wawrzyniec Spytek Jordan. Next to it there is a 15th-century statue of the Mother of God, which is charmingly beautiful, almost contemporary features.
The buildings of the Augustinian monastery from the 14th century are adjacent to the church., to which, for obvious reasons, not everyone has access. Exit from the church of St.. Catherine at ul. Skałeczna allows it to remain in the same atmosphere for some time. Heading west, along the wall of the Augustinian monastery, after a few minutes you reach another sacred microworld of Krakow – this time dedicated to St.. Michael. It is the famous Pauline Church Na Skałce.
