Kościół św. Gertrudy w Krakowie, Medieval church ruin site near Sienna Street, Kraków, Poland
Kościół św. Gertrudy was a Gothic church with a rectangular layout that included a choir section, an apse, and three altars arranged for worship. The structure stood in a low-lying area near the New Gate where seasonal flooding from nearby rivers was common.
Mikołaj Wierzynek commissioned the church between 1429 and 1432 as a memorial to his father Andrzej, who had been executed in 1406. The building stood for nearly four centuries before being demolished in 1822 as the city expanded and changed its urban layout.
The church served as both a spiritual center and a burial ground for those executed by the city authorities, making it a place where justice and faith intersected. This solemn role shaped how residents understood the site's purpose in their community.
The site is located near Sienna Street and exists today only as historical traces and a preserved street name that keeps the memory alive. Visitors can learn about this vanished place through local historical resources and plaques that explain the church's role in medieval Kraków.
A precious Gothic polyptych from this church survived its demolition and now hangs in the Church of Saint Nicholas elsewhere in the city. This painted artwork stands as one of the few tangible reminders of the building's existence for visitors who seek it out.
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