The St. John the Baptist Archcathedral (, ) is the seat of the
Archdiocese of Wrocław and a landmark of the city of
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. The
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
, located in the
Cathedral Island, is a
Gothic church with
Neo-Gothic additions. The current standing cathedral is the fourth church to have been built on the site.
Along with the
Old Town of Wrocław, it is designated a
Historic Monument of Poland.
History
A first church at the location of the present cathedral was built under
Přemyslid rule in the mid-10th century, a
fieldstone building with one
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
about in length, including a distinctive
transept and an
apse
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
. After the Polish conquest of
Silesia and the founding of the Wrocław diocese under the
Piast duke
Bolesław I the Brave in 1000, this
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
n church was replaced by a larger basilical structure with three naves, a
crypt
A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...
, and towers on its eastern side. The first cathedral was however soon destroyed, probably by the invading troops of Duke
Bretislaus of Bohemia around 1039. A larger,
Romanesque-style church was soon built in its place in the times of Duke
Casimir I, and expanded similar to
Płock Cathedral on the behest of Bishop
Walter of Malonne in 1158.
After the end of the
first Mongol invasion of Poland, the church was again largely rebuilt in the present-day
Brick Gothic style. It was the first building of the city to be made of brick when construction of the new
choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
and
ambulatory
The ambulatory ( 'walking place') is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th century but by the 13t ...
started in 1244. The nave with
sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is us ...
and the basements of the prominent western steeples were added under Bishop
Nanker until 1341.

On 19 June 1540 a fire destroyed the roof, which was restored 16 years later in
Renaissance style. Another fire, on 9 June 1759, burnt the towers, roof, sacristy and quire. The damage was slowly repaired during the following 150 years. Between 1873 and 1875, Karl Lüdecke rebuilt the interior and western side in
neogothic style. Further work was done at the beginning of the 20th century by Hugo Hartung, especially on the towers ruined during the 1759 fire.
The cathedral was severely damaged (about 70% of the building) during the
Siege of Breslau and heavy bombing by the
Red Army in the last days of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Parts of the interior fittings were saved and are now on display at the
National Museum in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
. The initial reconstruction of the church lasted until 1951, when it was reconsecrated by Archbishop
Stefan Wyszyński. In the following years, additional aspects were rebuilt and renovated. The original, conical shape of the towers was restored only in 1991.
The cathedral holds the largest
pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...
in Poland, built in 1913 by
E.F. Walcker & Sons of
Ludwigsburg,
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
, Germany, for the
Centennial Hall — formerly the largest organ in the world.
Architecture and furnishings
The current cathedral is a three-nave Gothic
oriented basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
surrounded by an ambulatory. The cathedral has three entrances: the main western portal and two later entrances from the north and south.
Chapels
*Behind the choir are three chapels:
** Chapel of St. Elizabeth in the south was built 1682-1700 as the mausoleum of Bishop
Frederick of Hesse-Darmstadt. The chapel was dedicated to St.
Elizabeth of Hungary, whose cult had been popular in the city since the Middle Ages. It is a fine example of baroque architecture and forms the counterpoint of the Elector's Chapel. The design was probably the work of Giacome Schianzi, who is also credited with the paintings in the dome, which, along with wall paintings by Andreas Kowalski, show the death, burial, and heavenly glory of St. Elizabeth. The statue of St. Elizabeth was created by
Ercole Ferrata, a student of
Bernini's. Facing the altar on the other side of the chapel is the cardinal's tomb, the work of
Domenico Guidi, another of Bernini's pupils. It depicts the kneeling cardinal surrounded by allegories of Truth and Eternity. Above the door to the church is a bust of the cardinal executed by the workshop of Bernini.
** The Gothic Marian Chapel directly behind the choir was built by the architect Peschel under the orders of Bishop
Przecław of Pogorzela from 1354 to 1365. Apart from the tomb of its founder it is also contains the tomb of Bishop
Johann IV Roth, the work of Peter Fischer the Elder of Nuremberg. A famous story from World War II concerned a famously beautiful marble statue of the Virgin and Child, created by
Carl Johann Steinhäuser in 1854, that was kept in the chapel. When the Russians bombed the cathedral, the flames miraculously stopped in front of the fallen statue, preserving the three back chapels from destruction. Despite the fall, bombing, and general destruction, the statue remained unharmed.
** The northern Baroque Elector's Chapel, or the Chapel of
Corpus Christi, was built from 1716 to 1724 as the mausoleum of bishop
Count Palatine Francis Louis of Neuburg. Francis Louis was also bishop of
Trier
Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
and
Magdeburg, making him one of the electors eligible to choose the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
, hence the name of the chapel. The designer was the Viennese architect
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His inf ...
. The decorative paintings were the work of
Carlo Carlone and the sculptures that of
Ferdinand Brokoff.
* The Chapel of St. John the Baptist, adjacent to the north-east tower of the cathedral, was built in 1408 and later rebuilt as the mausoleum of bishop
Johann V Thurzo.
* The Redeemer Chapel, now the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, was built 1671-72 by the order of the canon Johann Jacob Brunetti to a design by Carlo Rossi. The stucco decoration was the work of Domenico Antonio Rossi. The chapel contains epitaphs or its founder and his brother, auxiliary bishop Johann Brunetti. It is located at the fourth bay of the south aisle.
* The Chapel of the Resurrection, formerly the Mortuary Chapel, was built in 1749 through a donation of Dean Johann Christoph von Rummerskirch to a possible design by Bartholomäus Wittwer. The screen was the work of Felix Anton Scheffler: the stucco work and paintings by and . It is located in the second bay of the north aisle.
* The Chapel of St. Casimir, formerly dedicated to St. Leopold, was formerly the home of a famous triptych commissioned in 1468 by the canon Peter von Wartenberg. However, after World War II the painting was sent to the
National Museum, Warsaw.
Bells
Burials
* Prince-Bishop
Przecław of Pogorzela, 1376
* Duke
Henry VIII of Legnica, 1398
* Duke and Bishop
Konrad IV the Elder, 1447
* Prince-Bishop
Johann IV Roth, 1506
* Prince-Bishop
Johann V Thurzo, 1520
* Maria Kazimiera Sobieska, granddaughter of Polish King
John III Sobieski, 1723
* Prince-Bishop
Count Palatine Francis Louis of Neuburg, 1732
* Protonotary apostolic , 1951
* Archbishop
Bolesław Kominek, 1974
* Bishop , 1983
* Archbishop
Adolf Bertram, 1991
Gallery
File:St. John Cathedral Church in Wrocław 18th cent.jpg, Eastern side of St. John Cathedral in Wrocław, 18th century
File:Catedral de San Juan, Breslavia, Polonia, 2017-12-20, DD 13.jpg, Main portal
File:Wrocław, Ostrów Tumski statua Matki Boskiej z Dzieciątkiem(1).jpg, Statue of Madonna and Child at the Wroclaw Cathedral Square
File:2354 Jedna z rzeźb zdobiących wejście do katedry fot B. Maliszewska.jpg, Architectural details at the entrance to the cathedral
File:Wrocław, archikatedra, figura św. Jana Chrzciciela.jpg, Architectural detail - statues of Saint John the Baptist
File:Archikatedra św. Jana Chrzciciela we Wrocławiu DSCF5098.jpg, Rear view
File:Kościół Jana Chrzciciela we Wrocławiu-01.JPG, Cathedral towers
File:Archikatedra św. Jana Chrzciciela we Wrocławiu (3643867760).jpg, The dome of Corpus Christi Chapel
File:Breslauer Dom Interieur fd (13).JPG, Baroque interior of the cathedral
File:Katedra jana chrzciciela widok w kier bramy.jpg, View towards the entrance
File:Katedra jana chrzciciela kaplica sw elzbiety.jpg, St. Elizabeth's Chapel
File:Wrocław, archikatedra św. Jana Chrzciciela, obraz Madonny Sobieskich.jpg, Mater Adoramus (Matka Boża Adorująca)
File:Wroclaw - Katedra Jana Chrzciciela, wnętrze.jpg, An aisle inside the cathedral
File:Witraż św. Jana Kantego w archikatedrze św. Jana Chrzciciela we Wrocławiu.jpg, A stained glass window depicting Saint John Cantius
File:Wrocław, archikatedra pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela - fragment witraża bł. Bronisławy.jpg, Stained glass blessed Bronislava
File:Wrocław, archikatedra św. Jana Chrzciciela, witraż bł. Wincentego Kadłubka.jpg, Stained glass blessed Wincenty Kadłubek
File:Katedra p.w. św. Jana Chrzciciela, wieczorem.jpg, View of the cathedral in the evening
File:Katedra św. Jana Chrzciciela nocą nr3 e83.jpg, View of the cathedral at night
File:Catedral de Breslávia.jpg, The Cathedral in 2023
See also
*
Wrocław archdiocese
*
Church of St Mary on the Sand
References
* Baedeker, Karl, ''Northern Germany'', 14th edition, Leipzig, & London, 1904, p. 190.
External links
Archdiocese website
Seen though Google Maps''Sightseeing in Wrocław''"Katedra Wrocławska" - Spherical Panoramas
na portalu polska-org.pl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wroclaw Cathedral
Roman Catholic cathedrals in Poland
Churches in Wrocław
Basilica churches in Poland
Gothic architecture in Wrocław
Burial sites of the House of Sobieski
Burial sites of the Piast dynasty
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1951
20th-century churches in Poland
Rebuilt buildings and structures in Wrocław
Rebuilt churches in Poland
Catholic churches dedicated to John the Baptist
Cathedrals dedicated to John the Baptist
Churches dedicated to John the Baptist in Poland