Skałka, which means "a small rock" in Polish, is a small hillock in Kraków where the Bishop of Krakow saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów was slain by order of Polish king Bolesław II the Bold in 1079. This action resulted in the king's exile and the eventual canonization of the slain bishop.

Originally, a Romanesque church was built there. King Casimir III raised a new gothic church in its place and since 1472 this shrine has been in the possession of a cloister of Pauline Fathers. In 1733-1751 the church received a baroque decor. It is one of the most famous Polish sanctuaries.

The crypt underneath the church serves as a "national Panthéon", a burial place for some of the most distinguished Poles, particularly those who lived in Kraków.

• Jan Długosz (1415-1480), bishop, diplomat and historian
• Wincenty Pol (1807-1872), poet, geographer and freedom fighter
• Lucjan Siemieński (1809-1877), poet, writer and freedom fighter
• Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (1812-1887), writer and historian
• Teofil Lenartowicz (1822-1893), poet and sculptor
• Adam Asnyk (1838-1897), poet, playwright and freedom fighter
• Henryk Siemiradzki (1843-1902), painter
• Stanisław Wyspiański (1869-1907) poet, playwright and painter
• Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929), painter
• Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937), composer and pianist
• Ludwik Solski (1855-1954), theatre actor and director
• Tadeusz Banachiewicz (1882-1954), astronomer and mathematician
• Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004), poet and essayist, Nobel Prize recipient

Trivia

• There is no woman buried among the distinguished Poles
• Currently (2007) there is room for two or three more tombs in the crypt
• Długosz, Siemieński, Pol and Banachiewicz were originally buried elsewhere

External links

• Official site
• Entry at Krakow Info