St John Paul II Church (Sanctuary)
St John Paul II Church (Sanctuary) is a Roman Catholic church located in Kraków, in District IX Łagiewniki–Borek Fałęcki, at 32 Totus Tuus Street.
It is one of the main buildings of the John Paul II Centre “Do Not Be Afraid”, designed by the architect Andrzej Mikulski.
History of the Church
The blessing of St John Paul II Church took place on 23 June 2013, while the solemn dedication of the church was celebrated on 16 October 2016. Both ceremonies were conducted by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz.
Architecture of the Church
St John Paul II Church was built on an octagonal plan and stylistically refers to Byzantine architecture, particularly to the churches of Ravenna, such as the Basilica of San Vitale. The building was designed by the architect Andrzej Mikulski. The sanctuary has two levels: the lower church – known as the Church of Relics – and the upper church. A viewing tower stands next to the main building.
Church of Relics (Lower Church)
The lower church takes the form of an octagonal hall with a centrally placed altar. Inside the marble altar is a relic of St John Paul II – an ampoule containing his blood, taken during medical tests at the Gemelli Clinic and preserved in a glass capsule. Nearby is the papal pastoral cross. The space is surrounded by prayer chapels and oratories dedicated to Marian shrines. In the priests’ chapel, designed in reference to the Crypt of St Leonard at Wawel, there is the tomb slab of St John Paul II transferred from the Vatican Grottoes beneath St Peter’s Basilica. A reliquary in the form of an open Book of the Gospels is placed on the slab. In one of the chapels are buried Cardinals Andrzej Maria Deskur and Stanisław Nagy SCJ.
Upper Church
The upper church is also octagonal in shape. The presbytery and walls are decorated with mosaics designed by Fr Marko Ivan Rupnik SJ. Three bronze doors depicting scenes from the life of John Paul II lead into the church. In a side chapel there is a relic in the form of the cassock worn by the Pope during the assassination attempt on 13 May 1981.
St John Paul II Museum
The St John Paul II Museum in Kraków began its activity on 23 June 2013, the day of the dedication of the Upper Church of the St John Paul II Sanctuary in the “White Seas” area. Initially it functioned as the Archdiocesan Museum of St John Paul II and was a branch of the Archdiocesan Museum of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła in Kraków. Since 1 March 2020, the museum has been directly administered by the St John Paul II Centre “Do Not Be Afraid”.
The museum stands out for its rich and unique collection of memorabilia directly connected with the Polish Pope. The collection includes personal items used by John Paul II as well as numerous papal gifts – both small private tokens and valuable works of art – presented to him during his 27-year pontificate, throughout his apostolic journeys and meetings with representatives of the political, cultural and ecclesiastical worlds. Some of the exhibits were donated by John Paul II himself at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. After his death, a significant part of the collection was entrusted to the museum by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the Pope’s long-time personal secretary and initiator of the Centre’s construction.
Interesting Facts
The entire John Paul II Centre “Do Not Be Afraid” complex was built on the site of the former Solvay chemical works – the place where young Karol Wojtyła worked during the German occupation (1940–1944) before entering the priesthood.