Archcathedral Basilica Of St John The Baptist
Archcathedral Basilica Of St John The Baptist
Archcathedral Basilica Of St John The Baptist
4
About
Considered on of the most distinguished churches in Warsaw, this structure was originally built in the thirteenth century and was the site of royal coronations and other national celebrations.
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Neighbourhood: Stare Miasto
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- CristinelRomania1,378 contributionsWorth a visitBeautiful architectural piece of work. Placed in the Old Town, very easy to find and visit. Not impressive by decorations but by its simplicity. You can also visit the crypt, but is not free. Anyway, it worth a visit and a couple a minutes of meditation inside.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 5 December 2023
- Wanda RPawling, New York226 contributionsGreat interior, amazing organ!I attended Mass, which was fairly ordinary for a practicing Catholic on a Sunday morning. What is extraordinary is the interior and the organ. Tip: linger in the church after the last hymn to feast your ears. The grandeur of the piece played and the deep rich sounds resonated in the Church's outstanding acoustics. A beautiful unforgettable experience I look forward to whenever attending Mass in Warsaw's larger churches.Visited June 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 17 July 2024
- NatMexico City, Mexico1,118 contributionsMust-see in the Old TownThe entrance to the crunch is free. The tickets for the crypts are really affordable, and they additionally offer student discounts. It is actually a very high quality exhibition; quite modern and well structured. It hold the graves of many important figures, including STANISEAW AUGUST, the last Polish king.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten 25 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.0
370 reviews
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115
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179
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71
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Raintree_Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand4,282 contributions
Oct 2022
Although having a long history, including the site of coronations and royal weddings, the cathedral was completely destroyed in WWII. In fact, major fighting took place even in the interior of the church and the Germans smashed a tank into the building during one battle and planted charges to level all the walls. One of the interesting attractions in the cathedral is a statue that was one of the few recovered from the church after bombing during the war. Like most of Warsaw, the church as rebuilt after the war, in basic Gothic style, with a rather simple interior.
Written 3 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wanda R
Pawling, NY226 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
I attended Mass, which was fairly ordinary for a practicing Catholic on a Sunday morning. What is extraordinary is the interior and the organ. Tip: linger in the church after the last hymn to feast your ears. The grandeur of the piece played and the deep rich sounds resonated in the Church's outstanding acoustics. A beautiful unforgettable experience I look forward to whenever attending Mass in Warsaw's larger churches.
Written 17 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marekhiaro
Vienna, Austria7,457 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
This Gothic cathedral which has a triangle-shaped façade is located in the historic center of the old city. It was destroyed and subsequently rebuilt after the Second World War. It has now become a concert venue, which is why it is often inaccessible. several important Polish figures are buried inside.
Written 3 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nat
Mexico City, Mexico1,118 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
The entrance to the crunch is free.
The tickets for the crypts are really affordable, and they additionally offer student discounts.
It is actually a very high quality exhibition; quite modern and well structured. It hold the graves of many important figures, including STANISEAW AUGUST, the last Polish king.
The tickets for the crypts are really affordable, and they additionally offer student discounts.
It is actually a very high quality exhibition; quite modern and well structured. It hold the graves of many important figures, including STANISEAW AUGUST, the last Polish king.
Written 25 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cristinel
Romania1,378 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Beautiful architectural piece of work. Placed in the Old Town, very easy to find and visit. Not impressive by decorations but by its simplicity.
You can also visit the crypt, but is not free. Anyway, it worth a visit and a couple a minutes of meditation inside.
You can also visit the crypt, but is not free. Anyway, it worth a visit and a couple a minutes of meditation inside.
Written 5 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
3gunner
Stockholm, Sweden115 contributions
Oct 2019 • Family
It is easy to miss, but pay the small entry fee for the crypt. It is much larger thsn I expected and quite interesting.
I am not a church person, but this was a much better thsn expected experience. Recommended!
I am not a church person, but this was a much better thsn expected experience. Recommended!
Written 28 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bozeman-Dublin
Trim, Ireland11,334 contributions
Aug 2019 • Solo
Stunning church in the heart of the old town. Very serene and tranquil inside with a succession of beautiful gold gilted side altars and an ornate main altar.
Huge high walls and ceilings, lavishly intricate and completely free to visit.
They have done a magnificent job of restoration since the war to a cathedral that has hosted 4 royal weddings, coronation and the visit of two popes.
Check out the back wall outside where they have inset the treads if a captured tank into a niche to celebrate the liberation of the city during WW2.
Huge high walls and ceilings, lavishly intricate and completely free to visit.
They have done a magnificent job of restoration since the war to a cathedral that has hosted 4 royal weddings, coronation and the visit of two popes.
Check out the back wall outside where they have inset the treads if a captured tank into a niche to celebrate the liberation of the city during WW2.
Written 16 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glissan_9
Warsaw, Poland95 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
Originally built in the 14th century in Masovian Gothic style, the Cathedral served as a coronation and burial site for numerous Dukes of Masovia. The Cathedral is right at the heart of The Old Town, Warsaw
The Archcathedral was connected with the Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) by an elevated 80-meter-long corridor that had been built by Queen Anna Jagiellonka in the late 16th century and extended in the 1620s after Michał Piekarski's failed 1620 attempt to assassinate King of Poland Sigismund III in front of the Cathedral.
After the resolution of the Constitution of May 3, 1791, at the end of the session at the Royal Castle, King Stanisław August Poniatowski went to the Cathedral of St. John to repeat the Oath of the Constitution in front of the Altar, in the face of God. Also the Marshals of the Great Sejm were carried to the Archcathedral on the shoulders of the enthusiastic deputies of the Sejm.
The church was rebuilt several times, most notably in the 19th century, it was preserved until World War II as an example of English Gothic Revival.
In 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising (August–October 1944), the Cathedral was a place of struggle between insurgents and advancing German army. The Germans managed to induct a tank loaded with explosives into the Cathedral, a huge explosion destroyed large part of the building. After the collapse of the Uprising, German Vernichtungskommando (Destruction Detachment) drilled holes into the walls for explosives and blew up the Cathedral destroying 90% of its walls.
The cathedral was rebuilt after the war. The exterior reconstruction is based on the 14th-century church's presumed appearance (according to an early-17th-century Hogenberg illustration and a 1627 Abraham Boot drawing), not on its prewar appearance.
The Archcathedral was connected with the Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) by an elevated 80-meter-long corridor that had been built by Queen Anna Jagiellonka in the late 16th century and extended in the 1620s after Michał Piekarski's failed 1620 attempt to assassinate King of Poland Sigismund III in front of the Cathedral.
After the resolution of the Constitution of May 3, 1791, at the end of the session at the Royal Castle, King Stanisław August Poniatowski went to the Cathedral of St. John to repeat the Oath of the Constitution in front of the Altar, in the face of God. Also the Marshals of the Great Sejm were carried to the Archcathedral on the shoulders of the enthusiastic deputies of the Sejm.
The church was rebuilt several times, most notably in the 19th century, it was preserved until World War II as an example of English Gothic Revival.
In 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising (August–October 1944), the Cathedral was a place of struggle between insurgents and advancing German army. The Germans managed to induct a tank loaded with explosives into the Cathedral, a huge explosion destroyed large part of the building. After the collapse of the Uprising, German Vernichtungskommando (Destruction Detachment) drilled holes into the walls for explosives and blew up the Cathedral destroying 90% of its walls.
The cathedral was rebuilt after the war. The exterior reconstruction is based on the 14th-century church's presumed appearance (according to an early-17th-century Hogenberg illustration and a 1627 Abraham Boot drawing), not on its prewar appearance.
Written 24 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jarko2015
Amsterdam, The Netherlands1,731 contributions
May 2017 • Solo
This rather ugly, plain, brick built church doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside there is some stunning stained glass and very interesting decor to see. There's also a crypt, but there's a cost for visiting, whereas the rest of the church is free.
Written 10 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leonhkny
Hong Kong, China21,474 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
This is a historic church at Warsaw's re-created old town. It is a solemn, stately place that adds a holy, tranquil vibe to the Polish capital.
Written 17 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do you recall if there was Saturday afternoon or evening vigil Mass?
Written 26 July 2015
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