St. Mary's Basilica, also known as the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krakow, is an impressive Gothic-style church located on Market Square, the old center of the national capital.
According to the chronicler Jan Długosz, the first parish church on Kraków's Main Square was established around 1221-1222 by the bishop of Kraków, Iwo Odrowąż. However, it was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Poland. Between 1290 and 1300, a new early Gothic church was erected on the original foundations, being consecrated twenty years later, in 1320.
During the reign of Casimir III the Great, between 1355 and 1365, the church was completely rebuilt, driven by the inhabitants of Krakow to compete with Wawel Cathedral. This reconstruction, led by Mikołaj Wierzynek, was done mainly in brick, enlarging the chancel and adding taller windows. Although most of the main structure was completed in 1395-1397, the vault over the presbytery collapsed in 1442, possibly due to an earthquake.
In the following centuries, side chapels were added and two square towers were erected, completed in 1400 and 1406. The north tower, the tallest, stands out, designed as a watchtower for the city. In the 18th century, the interior of the church was rebuilt in late Baroque style, and in the 19th century neo-Gothic elements were introduced under the direction of Tadeusz Stryjeński.
St. Mary's Basilica houses two remarkable works by Veit Stoss: the wooden altarpiece, the largest in Europe, and a large sandstone crucifix. In the 20th century, a commemorative plaque was placed in honor of John Paul II, who was archbishop of the city before becoming pope.
On April 18, 2010, the basilica hosted a funeral ceremony for Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, whose coffins were subsequently buried in a crypt of Wawel Cathedral.
Every hour, from the north tower, a trumpeter plays the Hejnał mariacki, a traditional Polish melody broadcast over the radio at noon across the country. This tradition commemorates a 13th century trumpeter who was killed while sounding the alarm before a Mongol invasion, giving the tower its name Hejnał.