DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.25050#0380
A FEW WORDS ON THE
ENVIRONS OF CRACOW
In the environs of Cracow there are some sights particularly
strongly connected with the history and culture of the city
featuring since more than century and a half in all guidebooks
on Cracow and still serving as tourist destinations.
The monastery of the Calmedolites in Bielany lies within the
borders of greater Cracow, an easy walk from the zoological
garden in the Wolski Forest and Sowiniec Hill, yet is retains the
character of a remote retreat. This hermitage lies on a hill-
side overlooking the Vistula. Its white silhouette with towers
gleaming among the green trees can be seen from a great distance.
It was a rule of this austere order to select beautiful sites for their
hermitages. The Cracow monastery, called Mons Argentus (Silver
Mountain), was founded by Grand Marshal of the Crown Mikoiaj
Wolski, in 1602. First built were the lodges for the hermits, then
the church, constructed to a design brought from Rome by
Wolski. Questions of authorship and chronology, though, are not
clear. The principal parts of the church are dated to 1609-1617,
and records mention Valentin von Sabisch as the architect. From
1618 to 1630, a new two-towered fa9ade to a design by Andrea
Spezza was built, and some scholars believe that the spatial
structure of the church was also changed then.
The architecture of the church is very sophisticated. The visual
effect of the three towers changes with the vantage point.
Together with its surroundings, the hermitage forms a compact
366
ENVIRONS OF CRACOW
In the environs of Cracow there are some sights particularly
strongly connected with the history and culture of the city
featuring since more than century and a half in all guidebooks
on Cracow and still serving as tourist destinations.
The monastery of the Calmedolites in Bielany lies within the
borders of greater Cracow, an easy walk from the zoological
garden in the Wolski Forest and Sowiniec Hill, yet is retains the
character of a remote retreat. This hermitage lies on a hill-
side overlooking the Vistula. Its white silhouette with towers
gleaming among the green trees can be seen from a great distance.
It was a rule of this austere order to select beautiful sites for their
hermitages. The Cracow monastery, called Mons Argentus (Silver
Mountain), was founded by Grand Marshal of the Crown Mikoiaj
Wolski, in 1602. First built were the lodges for the hermits, then
the church, constructed to a design brought from Rome by
Wolski. Questions of authorship and chronology, though, are not
clear. The principal parts of the church are dated to 1609-1617,
and records mention Valentin von Sabisch as the architect. From
1618 to 1630, a new two-towered fa9ade to a design by Andrea
Spezza was built, and some scholars believe that the spatial
structure of the church was also changed then.
The architecture of the church is very sophisticated. The visual
effect of the three towers changes with the vantage point.
Together with its surroundings, the hermitage forms a compact
366