St. Barbara's Church in Krakow

St. Barbara's Church in Krakow is a Gothic, single-nave Roman Catholic building located between St. Mary's Square and the Small Market Square. It was built between 1338 and 1402 and may have originally served as a cemetery church. Its distinctive architecture includes a gable roof with a Baroque turret, a towerless facade with a triangular gable, and an apse on the eastern side. The church's interior, furnished in Baroque style, contains a Gothic crucifix and 15th-century sculptures, as well as an outstanding work of art – a 14th-century Pietà, likely attributed to the Master of the Beautiful Madonna of Toruń. In addition to its architectural value, the church is home to precious artworks, including the painting of the Mother of God of Jurowice, considered miraculous. In 1583, the church was handed over to the Jesuits and is associated with the figure of Father Piotr Skarga. After the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773, the building changed hands several times before being returned to the Jesuits in 1874. It is part of the so-called Lesser Poland Route of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and beneath its floor rests Father Jakub Wujek, the first translator of the Bible into Polish. Combining rich history, architectural and cultural values, the church is an important landmark in Krakow's cityscape.