Page 72 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Krakow

70  KR AK OW AREA B Y AREA

Exploring Wawel Cathedral The Vaza Chapel, probably
also designed by the same
Wawel Cathedral requires more than one visit to do architect, exemplifies a 17th-
justice to the magnificent building. Its interior with its century interior: monu-mental,
variety of styles, from medieval to modern, is simply heavy forms executed in black
marble with large epitaphs.
overwhelming. It is worth returning here for a careful It acts as a reminder of the
visit to all the chapels in the aisles, and to the monuments fragility and transcience
and tombs of the kings and prominent people in the of earthly life.
crypt. The artistic backdrop adds to the spirituality of Among the chapels
the cathedral, which is above all else used for worship. constructed in the 18th
To avoid the crowds, the best time to visit is in the early century, two are of particular
interest. The Lipski Chapel
morning or just before closing time. (1743–7), designed by
Francesco Placidi, catches the
light and plays with shadows.
the spirit of 16th-century The decoration of Bishop
Chapels humanism. Bishop Tomicki’s Załuski’s Chapel (1758–66)
The chapel of the Holy Chapel is also Renaissance employs the allegory of the
Cross, erected on the in style. Remodelled by passage through the gate
initiative of King Kazimierz Bartolomeo Berrecci from (note the enlarged entrance).
Jagiellończyk and his wife 1526 to 1535, the chapel The Crucifixion by Guercino
Elisabeth von Habsburg, has played an important role and the statue of the Risen
retained much of its medieval as a model for mausolea for Christ by Bertel Thorvaldsen
character. The cycle of old the nobility and gentry. The are to be seen in the sepul-
Russian wall paintings is one Chapel of the Virgin Mary chral Chapel of Bishop
of the largest ensembles to (King Stefan Batory’s Chapel) Filip Padniewski. This
have survived. It is of the houses a 17th-century Renaissance chapel was
Pskov School. Two triptychs Baroque tabernacle with remodelled in the 19th
of the Holy Trinity and the the Holy Eucharist. century for the Potocki family.
Virgin Mary of Sorrows both The sandstone tomb The statue of Włodzimierz
date from the second half of Batory and the Potocki in the Holy
of the 15th century. The most royal stalls were Trinity Chapel
interesting furnishing is the designed by is also by
tomb of Kazimierz made by Santi Gucci. Thorvaldsen.
Veit Stoss with Huber of
Passau. The king is shown
in majestic resplendence,
yet it is also a dignifed image
of death. The stained-glass
windows were designed
by Józef Mehoffer in
the Art Nouveau style.
The Zygmunt Chapel
(1519–33), designed by
Bartolomeo Berrecci, is
of exceptional beauty and
is considered one of the
purest examples of the Italian
Renaissance outside Italy.
The chapel was modelled on
the best Italian architectural
and decorative works and
contains sculptures, stuccos
and paintings designed by
some of the most renowned
artists of the age. The silver
altar was made between 1531
and 1538 in Nuremberg by
Melchior Baier to the designs
of Peter Flötner. The royal
tombs are equally interesting.
The interior is peaceful
and majestic and conveys The altar in the Zygmunt Chapel