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The most famous religious building in Warsaw is St. John's Cathedral. The oldest church in Warsaw, it was built in the 14th century. Up to the end of the 18th century it was just an ordinary parish church and only in 1798 it became a cathedral.
The cathedral has housed and witnessed many important events of the Polish history. In 1764 the last king of Poland, Stanislaw August Poniatowski, was crowned here. On May 3, 1791 the Sejm (Polish parliament) declared the written constitution in Poland. It was for the first time in Europe and second in the world (after the United States) that constitution was adopted.
During World War II the cathedral was ruined as well as practically all the buildings in the city, but by now it has been completely restored and one can admire its original Gothic style. But still one can see the fragments of Goliath, a remote-controlled tank widely used by the German army in the World War II, on the external wall by the main entrance. The cathedral bell dating back to the 18th century, destroyed in 1944, has been glued together and exhibited in the center of Kanonia Street.
The interior of the cathedral is rather austere. The only decorations are religious sculptures and paintings. The Cathedral treasures some artworks by Wit Stwosz, one of the most famous Polish artists. The presbytery houses astonishing stalls, copies of the originals made after 1683 and founded by King John III Sobieski as a votive offering for the battle of Vienna. In the right aisle, a miracle-working 16th-century crucifix, called the Baryczkowski Crucifix from Nuremberg, is treasured. According to the legend, it was brought from Germany by a common Varsovian Baryczko, where at that time Protestantism was rapidly spreading and all the catholic statues and icons were being destroyed. He picked up the broken wooden crucifix and saved it. In Warsaw, he handed it over to the priests of the Cathedral. Soon the crucifix became very popular because on the head of Jesus Christ real hair began to grow. Once a year a virgin cut it with golden scissors.
The cathedral is a resting place for many outstanding Poles. In red marble Renaissance tombs the last Mazowian dukes lie, the crypt holds the bodies of Nobel Prize winner writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, the first president of Poland Gabriel Narutowicz, the great composer Ignacy Paderewski, Warsaw archbishops and others.
In 1620, the cathedral was connected with the Royal Castle with the covered walkway. The decision was made after the assassination attempt on King Sigismundus III had been made.
The cathedral has a large gallery with organs of a great historical value. International Organ Music Festival regularly held in the cathedral is considered to be one of the most important festivals in Warsaw and numbers among the best organ music festivals in Europe. The festival was organized in 1994. Since then every year during three months - July, August and September - within the precincts of the cathedral divine music is played.
