St Mary’s Basilica is the largest ecclesiastical building in Poland that was built in the Gothic style. It was constructed in several stages over a period of 159 years, from 1343 to 1502.
Worth note is also the fact that it is the largest brick church in the world. Its ascetic interior covered with captivating vaults houses precious works of art, such as the stone Pietà from circa. 1410, the copy of the Last Judgement painted by Hans Memling in 1472, the astronomical clock made in 1464-1470 by Hans Düringer, and the main altar built from 1510 to 1517 by Master Michael of Augsburg. The entire building, including the tower buttresses, is 105.5 meters long, while the vaults reach 30 meters above the floor. The massive tower, which is 77.6 meters tall (82 meters to the roof ridge), is topped with a viewing gallery from which visitors can enjoy the city skyline. To get there, however, one has to climb almost 400 steps! Next to the church, there is a Gothic vicarage and the Baroque Royal Chapel.