St. John's Archcathedral in Warsaw

Why visit?

St. John's Archcathedral, dedicated to John the Baptist, is Warsaw's oldest parish and its most important church: a Gothic building raised from the late 14th century on Świętojańska street, just a few steps from the Old Town Market Square. For centuries it served the Dukes of Masovia — the last Masovian Piasts rest in its crypts — and on 3 May 1791 it was here that the king and the deputies swore an oath on the newly adopted Constitution of 3 May. The church became a cathedral in 1798, when the Warsaw diocese was erected. Inside, look for the Gothic portals and details reconstructed after the war and the Renaissance mausoleum of the Masovian dukes. The crypts hold eminent Poles: Henryk Sienkiewicz, whose ashes were brought from Switzerland in 1924, President Gabriel Narutowicz, Great Sejm Marshal Stanisław Małachowski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski (his ashes returned to Poland in 1992) and Narcyza Żmichowska. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński is buried here too, and his tomb draws crowds of pilgrims. The cathedral collapsed in September 1944, bombed during the Warsaw Uprising, and was rebuilt in 1947–1955 in a purely Gothic form — today it is one of the symbols of the city's memory. Entry is free and the church is open daily; sightseeing is not possible during Mass, so check the parish website for the service schedule before your visit. Thirty to sixty minutes is enough to see the interior and the crypts — a perfect stop on a walk through the UNESCO-listed Old Town.

What you’ll see

• Przysięga na Konstytucję 3 Maja 1791 roku złożona w tej świątyni
• Groby Sienkiewicza, Paderewskiego i Narutowicza w podziemiach
• Renesansowe mauzoleum książąt mazowieckich
• Gotycka bryła odbudowana po zburzeniu w 1944 roku
• Grób kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego

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