Address: Ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 3

Traveler Reviews

Incredibly emotional, historic place - the spiritual heart of Warsaw.
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Apr 23, 2008


I may be prejudiced because I am an American of Polish descent, but anyone with a heart and soul will leave this place deeply touched and moved. One of the last battles of the Warsaw uprising was actually fought inside the church - there are still bullets in some of the walls and in the silver altar screens. In a niche on the left hand side of the church is an urn that contains the heart of Chopin, at any given time you will see families bringing wreaths of flowers to remember the great Polish composer. It was his dying wish that his heart be interred in the land of his birth and culture. From the moment you catch sight of the church with its large statue of Jesus carrying his cross, you feel the beauty, sadness, suffering, and ultimate triumph of Poland throughout its history of opression to its glorious independence. Go for high mass on Sunday and really soak in the culture and unique spirituality of this undervisited nation with so much to offer on so many levels. In the back of the church is a small chapel to Our Lady of Katyn that memorializes the genocide of Polish citizens and army officers at the end of WWII by the Soviets - I dare anyone to see it and not be moved to tears by the Madonna holding a dying soldier in her arms.