Cracovia Sacra Night
The first Cracovia Sacra Night took place in 2008 on Assumption Day (15th August). It is part of a series of night explorations of Krakow focusing on the city’s religious phenomenon. On this night some of the most beautiful churches, as well as monasteries and convents in Krakow and its surroundings that are usually inaccessible, are opened to the general public, making it possible for them to discover church monuments, treasures and the arcana of monastic life.
The Night’s programme includes exhibitions, as well as numerous sacred music concerts. The highlight of 2008 was the Polish premiere performance of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber’s Rosary Sonatas by John Holloway (violin) and Marieke Spaans (harpsichord). The visitors also had the chance to walk around the “Great Ruin” and the historic cloisters of the Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec. Another unique event was the encounter with the original miraculous painting of Our Lady of Grace, shown to the public at Wawel Cathedral for the first time. This is the painting in front of which the Polish king John II Casimir made an oath in Lvov cathedral.
All the events of Cracovia Sacra Night are free of charge. Admission to some of the buildings as well as participation in selected concerts is permitted upon showing entrance tickets, a limited number of which are distributed free. (MD)
