Architectural Photography: magnificent St. Florian´s Church in Krakow

in Architecture+Design3 years ago (edited)

Hi there my Hivean friends and followers!

Welcome to my Architectural Photography series where I introduce you to interesting buildings that I get to visit on my travels.

The past few episodes of the series were dedicated to remarkable pieces of Krakow architecture because this beautiful Polish city has been our temporary home for a couple of months already and my today´s post will show you yet another impressive architectural gem of the city - the magnificent St. Florian´s Church.


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As you can see in the photos, I had a slightly better weather when photographing this remarkable piece of architecture than with the St. Bernard´s Church where I actually had to put the shots in b&w because they were just too dull so I am glad that I can offer you a colored version this time :)

What also makes this episode of the series interesting is the fact that below, you fill find some pictures of the interiors of the church, which is something I don´t do very often.


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As usually, let´s start out with a bit of history. The very origins of the St. Florian´s Church date back to as early as the second half of the 12th century, making it one of the oldest churches in Krakow.

However, such ancient medieval buildings rarely keep their original appearance and this church is not an exception. Throughout the centuries, the church was damaged (including several devastating fires) and reconstructed many times and it looks like its current appearance dates back to the Baroque architectural era.


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As the name suggests, the church is dedicated to St. Florian, a widely venerated Christian figure who is the patron of Poland and Austria but also firefighters, brewers and chimney sweeps. But there are two more prominent figures that people come to venerate to the church - John Cantius, a renowned Polish priest, philosopher and theologian and St. Valentine, the famous patron of lovers.


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The St. Florian´ s Church is located on the Matejko Square in the old city neighborhood of Kleparz, very close to the Krakow´s main train and bus station. In 1999, the official status of the church was elevated to the minor basilica so you can also see this church being referred to as the St. Florian´s Basilica.


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Now as promised in the intro, let me take you inside this beautiful church. I haven´t really found out much info about the interiors but from what I saw, the decoration looks very lavish with a lot of these-golden like features, altars, statues etc.


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What also makes this church interesting and quite special is the fact that Karol Wojtyla, later known as the Pope John Paul II, worked there as a vicar between 1949 and 1951. Back then, he lived in a house that is adjacent to the church (see below). Later on, as the Pope already, Wojtyla visited the church several times.


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I hope that you enjoyed this episode of my Architectural Photography series and that you also learned something new from this post.

I am happy to submit this post to the Architecture+Design community, a great and dedicated community for all fans of architecture and design run by our amazing Hivers @discoveringarni and @storiesoferne.




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Thanks for the pictures @phortun . These images, both exterior and interior, have been a spectacle. The Church of St. Florian is another anecdotal and very beautiful place in Krakow. It is very old, that seems more interesting to me because it is full of a lot of history, in addition to the fact that Pope John Paul II in a more modern time passed or marked the place with his presence. Good job!

Thanks for stopping by again my friend! I can see you really are into architecture, your comments always bring some additional value to the post :) Thanks again and see you in the next episode of the series!

See you in the next session :) Thank you very much friend @phortun!

Hello @phortun, you have them in color this time. The church looks well kept and maintained and that's a cool tidbit with the history of Pope John Paul II working there in the past. I found it also quite timely that the Holy Week is coming up this weekend. Cheers

Hi Arni, thanks for your feedback! Yeah, good point with the upcoming Easter, I didn´t even realize that actually because Krakow is literally packed with churches and you see them everywhere all year round :)

Have a great and productive week!

Excellent photos @phortun! I've got a Krakow post coming in a few days, but I don't think I saw this church. The architectural style in Poland is truly something epic.

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Little details like this inverted stair pattern are all over everything. The closer you look at the buildings, the more cool little details you notice. And the style is similar, but totally different than neighboring countries.

Thanks for the post!

Hey, thanks for swinging by :) You have an eye for detail for sure, I didn´t even notice this feature :) But actually, this particular church is not even that lavishly decorated on the outside, at least not when compared to some other churches here in the city. Looking forward to your Krakow post!

Wow, St. Florian´s Church might be a humble-looking sacred building but it has a wealth of historical background! My favorite highlight is the mere fact that Karol Wojtyla, also known as Pope John Paul II, has left a memorable legacy on that site. Thank you @phortun for sharing this interesting landmark of religious architecture, and for showing interior photos as well. Now you can call that a complete demonstration of architectural photography!

Aww, thank you Erne :) Yeah, finally a church that is photodocumented both from the inside and outside :) The fact that the Pope lived and worked here certainly gives this place a special feel. My pleasure to share all of this with you guys and the A&D community!

Those details were worth capturing, what a masterpiece! The attached triangular pediments are very interesting. It feels so exciting to click such pictures.
Great publication, keep flourishing.

Thank you, I am really happy to get such a nice feedback from people like you who obviously have a lot of knowledge of architecture :) Means a lot, thanks!

It is actually a well deserved appreciation. The perspective of photography were great! :)

Another beautiful piece of art do love the inside of this Church great shots as always 👍

Thanks buddy! Yeah, I am really glad I "ventured" inside too :)

Could not have ventured inside am glad you did the insides of churches are spectacular.

Those pictures are great, I adore the blind windows and nice cornice.
love a content like this, hope you have a happy week:)

Thanks, I am glad you enjoyed this episode :) Actually, you have just taught me something too, I didn´t know what a cornice was so I just googled it out :D

Haha! That's very cool. Happy to teach something unknowingly :p

Zase krása! Tady z toho tvého architecture okénka by naší Stellince srdce zaplesalo ❤️

Jééé děkuji, to bylo milé :) Jako celá Stellinka :)

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Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1158.

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 3 years ago  

Hello @phortun, just dropping by to congratulate you. Continue to dazzle us with your architecture photography series.

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