CRACOW LOCAL TOURS - Jan Paweł II

Cracow boasts a number of places connected with John Paul II, who arrived in this city in 1938 and stayed here most of his life, till 1978 when he was elected the Pope.

Our tour begins with a visit to St. Florian’s Church, the first church in Cracow in which the Pope (then priest Karol Wojtyla) was a vicar. We then direct our footsteps to St. Mary’s Church in the Main Market Square on whose wall a memorial plaque commemorates the White March that took place in 1981.

The next stop is Collegium Novum, the main building of the Jagiellonian University, where after WWII Wojtyla lectured in theology. From there it is just a short walk to the Archbishop’s Palace that was his home for a number of years. We will see there his monument situated in the courtyard, as well as ‘the most famous window in the world’ from which he always greets the people coming to see him during his papal visits.

After a brief stop at the Franciscan church we go to the Archdiocese Museum to see two apartments in which John Paul lived as a priest and as a bishop.

Then a bus will take us to the final destination of our tour, the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy connected also with the worship of St. Faustyna, one of the Pope’s favourite saints. The church, which is now one of the most important pilgrimage centres in Poland, was consecrated by John Paul II. Those who want this visit to be more than a mere stop on a sight-seeing tour can stay here for the afternoon service.