Saint John's Archcathedral

Originally constructed in the 14th century using the Masovian Gothic style, the cathedral functioned as a burial and coronation site for numerous Dukes of Masovia. Queen Anna Jagiellonka had an 80-meter elevated corridor built in the late 16th century to connect the archcathedral to the Royal Castle.

The name by which the temple is known today was acquired in 1618 when the painting "Madonna with Saints John the Baptist and Stanislaus" by Giacomo Palma the Younger was placed on the altar of the temple. In 1705, under the vaults of the Warsaw Cathedral, Stanisław Leszczyński was crowned. The last Polish king, Stanisław Poniatowski, was crowned here in 1764. In 1791, a ceremony was held in the cathedral for the adoption of the first constitution in Europe, which subsequently became known as the Constitution of May 3.

In 1791, after the Constitution of May 3 had been ratified at the Royal Castle, King Stanisław August Poniatowski proceeded to the Cathedral of St John to reiterate the Oath of the Constitution in front of the Altar, as an act of devotion.

The cathedral has undergone several renovations, particularly in the 19th century, and was preserved as an example of English Gothic Revival until World War II. During the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, the cathedral became a battleground between insurgents and the advancing German army. In 1939, the building was significantly damaged during bombardments, and in 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, it was completely destroyed by the fascists. The tanks of the occupiers burst into the temple, crushing everything in their path. In memory of the terrible events, a part of the track from a fascist remote-controlled tank mine "Goliath" is embedded into the brickwork of one of the restored walls.

From 1948 to 1956, the Warsaw Cathedral was rebuilt, and the author of the new Gothic facade's design was architect Jan Zachwatowicz. In restoring the interior, restorers endeavored to give it an appearance corresponding to the early 14th century. The Warsaw Cathedral, raised from ruins, was consecrated on June 9, 1960, by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, the Primate of Poland.

This church was visited by three Popes of Rome. In 1919, Pope Pius XI in this Cathedral ordained the Cardinal of Krakow and the Bishop of Warsaw. Pope John Paul II was a guest in this Church five times. In 1979, it was from here that the Pope's pilgrimage of the homeland began. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI became the third Pope to set foot in this church.

The temple building is designed in the style of brick Gothic and has an unusual expressive facade. The interior spaces are decorated in the style of Baroque.

The cathedral is a three-nave building, with two aisles of the same height as the main nave. A belfry is located on the right side from the front, with a passage to Dziekania Street situated underneath it. The cathedral contains many chapels, gravestones, and epitaphs, with a pulpit from 1959 designed by Józef Trenarowski and replica baroque stalls founded by King John III Sobieski. The left aisle contains numerous chapels, including the Baryczka Chapel at the end of the aisle, which houses a wooden crucifix brought from Nuremberg in 1539 by the merchant Jerzy Baryczka, regarded as the most precious element of the cathedral's furnishings.

Other chapels include the Chapel of Whipped Christ, the oldest chapel dating back to the 15th century, the Baptistery with a valuable baptismal from 1631, the Chapel of John the Baptist, and the Saint Stanisław Chapel from the 15th century. One of the reconstructed elements of the original interior is the rococo altar in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, also known as the Literary Chapel, which features an effigy of the Virgin Mary from the destroyed St Andrew's Church at the Theatre Square, dating back to the 17th century. Additionally, the painting that once belonged to Polish kings John II Casimir Vasa, Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki, and John III Sobieski was used during battles.

In the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Warsaw, many high-ranking Poles are laid to rest. The beginning of this pantheon was established by the Mazovian princes, and later it became the burial place for figures of culture and history. This includes the first President of Poland, Gabriel Narutowicz, the artist Marcello Bacciarelli, the writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, Archbishop Stefan Wyszyński, Marshal Józef Piłsudski, and others. In 1990, the ashes of the last King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski, were placed in the Warsaw Cathedral, having previously been in Ukraine.