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Bishop's Palace - Zabytek.pl

Bishop's Palace


palace 1358 Kraków

Address
Kraków, Franciszkańska 3

Location
woj. małopolskie, pow. Kraków, gm. Kraków

The building is an example of residential architecture with the centuries-long function of the seat of the bishop of Kraków.

History

It is probable that back in the 13th century the bishops of Kraków were seated in Wawel Castle. The existence of the palace is confirmed without doubt in 1384 when “...Bishop Jan Radlica purchased a plot with a wooden house at the bishop’s court, close to the monastery of the Franciscan monastery...” The building was enlarged by Cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki, but it burnt down in a fire of the town in 1462. In the Renaissance era, Bishop Piotr Tomicki (1524–1535), an expert in the legacy of Erasmus of Rotterdam, took care of the property. An interesting figure of the time was Bishop Piotr Gamrat (1538–1545). Together with Queen Bona, he was keenly involved in political life, surrounded by an entourage of nearly 180 courtiers, chaplains, and guards, and combining the dignity of the office with the grandeur of his court. Bishop Andrzej Zebrzydowski enhanced the splendour of the residence in 1551 “by restoring the palace that had been vacated for a long time...” In 1567 Gabriel Słoński, a Kraków mason, was engaged to supervise the works. The construction projects gained momentum during the term of Bishop Piotr Myszkowski (1577–1591). Earlier historians suggested that the Italian artist Giovanni Maria Padovano was commissioned to contribute to the construction works; today, researches tend to point to Santi Gucci or someone from his studio. The residence built at that time survived several decades. Major changes occurred during the term of Bishop Piotr Gembicki of the Nałęcz coat of arms (1642–1657). At the beginning of the 17th century, “...the palace by the Franciscans was ruled by disorder, only the great chambers were in use by bishop courts...” The renovation and expansion of the property in the years 1643-1647 left the building with the look and size that have not much changed to the present times. The facades received magnificent portals, one of them featuring a plaque praising the bishop’s merits. The period of the Polish-Swedish War was tragic for the palace. However, the devastated palace survived in better condition than Wawel Castle, so King John Kazimierz resided here during his stay in Kraków in 1660 and 1661. The palace was thoroughly renovated at the request of Bishop Jan Małachowski. The work finished by 1692. The 18th century was not very favourable to the city of Kraków, the palace, and its bishops. King Charles XII of Sweden was hosted in the bishop’s residence twice (in 1702 and 1706). In 1706 King Augustus II stayed here and in 1745 King Augustus III. The royal visits, however, did not contribute to the recovery of the former glory of the building. During the term of Bishop Andrzej Stanisław Kostka Załuski (1746-1758) the palace was given a new function. It house the bishop’s printing house. In 1793 Russian troops were quartered in the building. Even in 1800 chroniclers speak about the palace as a partial ruin. In the years 1800-1815, the property was let to lay users. The office of Bishop Jan Paweł Woronicz (1815-1828) proved a breakthrough in the history of the building. Together with the painter Michał Stachowicz, the bishop developed an ambitious interior design programme for the palace. The main contractor Szczepan Humbert and the painter Michał Stachowicz, together with their co-workers, started work in the south, newly arranged wing and in the chapel in the east wing. The interiors were adorned with paintings and sculptures telling the history of Poland from the golden era to the Congress of Vienna. Woronicz’s work was destroyed by the fire of Kraków on 18 July 1850. In modern times, the bishop’s residence did not undergo any major changes. First major alterations were made in the chapel in the years 1968-1969. The long-time head of the diocese and manager of the palace was Adam Stefan Sapieha. His term covered the Great War, the Second World War, and the difficult post-war years until 1951. For many Poles, the bishop’s palace was a mainstay of hope and assistance at that time. A modest statue of the duke and cardinal, by August Zamoyski, was erected in 1976 near the palace, in front of the Franciscan church. In the years 1964-1978, the palace resident was Karol Wojtyła, who, as Pope John Paul II, kept returning to his former home during papal pilgrimages to Poland. The papal visits are commemorated by plaques attached to the palace façade. On pope’s 60th birthday, his statue was installed in the palace courtyard. It was made and donated by Jole Sensi Croci.

Description

Originally, the palace was located by the city walls, next to the Painters’ Tower closing ul. Franciszkańska and the Wiślna Gate at the end of ul. Wiślna. Today, the monumental body of the building is well embedded in the urban landscape of ul. Franciszkańska, Planty Park and partly ul. Wiślna. The stone portals and a fragment of a quarry stone wall in the basement have mediaeval origins. The three-arcaded loggia, embedded in the ground floor wall from the side of the courtyard, and the portal with the Jastrzębiec coat of arms of Bishop Myszkowski date back to the Renaissance. The body of the palace, portals in the façade, winged window frames, a tunnel staircase by an Italian designer, and heraldic shields with the Nałęcz coat of arms are attributed to Bishop Gembicki holding the office in the mid-17th century. The marble portals with the Nałęcz coat of arms of Bishop Małachowski and the stucco decoration of the vestibule vault in the west wing come from the end of the 17th century. The palace from the times of Bishop Woronicz and after the great fire of 1850 has only survived in drawings and chroniclers’ accounts. S. Tomkowicz recalled, “... I remember this wrecked building as a boy: jagged walls, no ceilings, no windows...” The palace accommodated St John Cantius Municipal School. In the first floor chambers, renovated between 1871 and 1879 thanks to the efforts of the Society of Friends of Fine Arts, art exhibitions were held. The situation improved in 1879 when Albin Dunajewski was nominated bishop of Kraków. Thanks to the financial aid of Katarzyna Adamowa Potocka, the building was restored. The works in the years 1881-1884 were overseen by Tomasz Pryliński, who made a name after the successful renovation project in the Cloth Hall. The designed carefully preserved what had survived the calamity while introducing neo-Renaissance elements in the façades and furnishings. The next bishop of Kraków, Jan Puzyna, took care of the palace equipment, including many valuable paintings. Since Pryliński’s time, the building has not undergone any major changes. The designer contributed to the silhouettes of the façade gables, the loggia in the courtyard façade, the walls and the interior of the chapel with Wawel-like windows as well as joinery and décor elements.

The site is not available to visitors, expect for the courtyard and archives

Author of the note Roman Marcinek, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Kraków 23 X 2014

Bibliography

  • Grabowski A., Starożytnicze wiadomości o Krakowie. Kraków 1852
  • Fabiański M., Purchla J., Historia architektury Krakowa w zarysie, Kraków 2001
  • Rożek M., Architektura i urządzenie wnętrz pałacu biskupiego w Krakowie (XIX-XIX w.); in: Rocznik Krakowski, vol. XLV (45): 1974, pp. 19-43.
  • Estreicher K., Kraków. Przewodnik dla zwiedzających miasto i jego okolice, Kraków 1938
  • Tomkowicz T., Pałac Biskupi w Krakowie, Kraków 1933
  • Komorowski W., Pałace miejskie Krakowa pierwszej połowy XIX w., in: Teki Krakowskie, no. XIII, 2001.

Objects data updated by NID .

Category: palace

Architecture: nieznana

Building material:  brick

Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records

Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_12_BK.187560, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_12_BK.405277