On Grodzka Street, along the old royal route between the Main Market Square and Wawel hill, the church of Saints Peter and Paul marks a turning point in Polish architecture. Built for the Jesuit order at the beginning of the seventeenth century, it brought to Krakow the Roman Baroque vocabulary of a single wide nave, side chapels, a crossing dome and a facade conceived as a stage set. The forecourt is closed by a railing bearing twelve large stone figures of the apostles, worn by weather and repeatedly restored, which have become one of the most recognisable sights of the city. Inside, the decoration is unusually restrained: white stucco, clear proportions, an emphasis on preaching and on the acoustics of the sermon. A long pendulum suspended beneath the vault, used to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth, adds an unexpected scientific dimension. The church lies within Krakow's historic centre, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
