St Mary's Basilica

Kraków · Poland · Church

The trumpet call breaks off mid-note where the arrow hit the watchman's throat. In the Chapel of Criminals the condemned still moan after dark.

Every hour on the hour the hejnal is played from the taller tower of St Mary's, to each of the four quarters, and every time the tune stops dead in the middle of a note. The legend explains it: when the Tatars came at the city, the watchman on the tower got his alarm out and saved Krakow, but an arrow went through his throat and cut the signal short. The hejnal has broken off in the same place ever since, a rehearsal of his death repeated around the clock. Inside the church the chapel of St Anthony is known as the Chapel of Criminals, and it was here that those sentenced to death spent their last night before being led out to the scaffold. For centuries people have insisted you can hear them moaning in there after dark.

FAQ

Where is St Mary's Basilica located?

St Mary's Basilica is in Kraków, Poland.

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