About This Location
Plac Mariacki is the slim, quieter square that wraps around the side of St. Mary’s Basilica. It looks like an ordinary passage today, but for centuries this ground was the parish cemetery. In the early 1800s the burial ground was closed and cleared, and the space was turned into a public square. If the paving underfoot changes to pale stone blocks, that line is often used to hint at how far the old cemetery once reached. Right on this former cemetery stands the small Gothic Church of St. Barbara. It began in the 14th century, likely as a cemetery chapel linked to the basilica, and tradition says Queen Jadwiga helped fund it. Because it was built for a very practical purpose, the church feels more intimate than the grand basilica nearby - a place meant for quieter prayers and farewells. One detail to look for is the arcaded chapel beside the entrance known as the Ogrójec - the Garden of Gethsemane. It holds a sculpted scene of Christ praying, linked to artists from the circle of Veit Stoss, the master behind the great altarpiece inside St. Mary’s. It is a small corner, but it connects this modest church to one of the biggest names in Kraków’s late Gothic art. This area is also a good reminder that Kraków’s Old Town is layered. A bustling market square sits just steps away, yet here the city’s daily life passes through a place shaped by centuries of worship, burials, and rebuilding - a calm pause between the basilica and the lanes leading toward the smaller market square, Mały Rynek.