5 places in Poland associated with John Paul II

Posted April 29, 2014 5:30 am

By Monika Scislowska, Associated Press

In 2002, Pope John Paul II prayed in front of the altar of the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, Poland. On Nov. 2, 1946, the Rev. Karol Wojtyla, who became later Pope John Paul II, held his first Mass as a priest in the cathedral's crypt of St. Leonard. He was made bishop at the cathedral's main altar in July 1958. Associated Press file photo

WARSAW, Poland - In his native Poland, the old stomping grounds of Pope John Paul II are places of pilgrimage. Here are the top five spots in Poland associated with the superstar pope, who was made a saint at a ceremony in the Vatican on Sunday.

The Palace of the Krakow Bishops

In the southern city of Krakow, the 19th century palace in Franciszkanska Street 3 was the residence of Bishop Karol Wojtyla from 1963 until 1978, when he was chosen as pope and took the name of John Paul II. On his visits to the city, John Paul would stand in an open window and chat with the cheering crowd gathered in the street. The "papal window" is now a gathering point on pope-related occasions.

Wawel Castle Cathedral

Dating back to the 11th century, the cathedral is part of the Renaissance Wawel Castle and holds the ashes of Poland's kings. On Nov. 2, 1946, in the cathedral's crypt of St. Leonard, the Rev. Karol Wojtyla celebrated his first Mass as a priest. He was made bishop at the cathedral's main altar in July 1958, and often prayed at St. Stanislas' tomb.

John Paul II Sanctuary

The sanctuary on the edge of Krakow consists of a new church and pilgrim center. It's the brainchild of John Paul's personal secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who is now the city's archbishop. In 2011, Dziwisz placed a reliquary with a vial of John Paul's blood in its altar. It also has the white tombstone from John Paul's first grave in the Vatican grottoes.

People will gather at the sanctuary for a prayer vigil on Saturday night, and on Sunday watch the Vatican canonization ceremony.

John Paul II Museum

The John Paul II museum in the pontiff's hometown of Wadowice includes the apartment where he was born. Consisting of a living room, single bedroom and kitchen, it includes some original objects - such as a kneeler - from the time the future pope lived there. Visitors can also see the gun that would-be-assassin Ali Agca used when he shot and wounded John Paul in St. Peter's Square in 1981.

Basilica of the Presentation of the Holy Virgin Mary

This is Wojtyla's parish church, where he was baptized, served as an altar boy and stopped to pray on his way to school. The basilica has a chapel dedicated to John Paul with a reliquary containing a drop of his blood on the altar.

In 2011, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, right, consecrates the reliquary containing a drop of blood of the late Pope John Paul II in the Lagiewniki John Paul II Sanctuary in Krakow, Poland. The sanctuary consists of a new church and pilgrim center and is the brainchild of John Paul's personal secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who is now the city's archbishop. Associated Press file photo

The John Paul II museum in the pontiff's hometown of Wadowice, Poland, includes the apartment where Wojtyla was born. Consisting of a living room, single bedroom and kitchen, it includes some original objects, such as the kneeler from the time the future pope lived there. Visitors can also see the gun that would-be-assassin Ali Agca used when he shot and wounded John Paul in St. Peter's Square in 1981. Associated Press file photo

In 1999, Pope John Paul II waves from outside the basilica during his visit to Wadowice, Poland, the town where he was born and grew up. The basilica was his parish church, where he was baptized, served as an altar boy and stopped to pray on his way to school. A central point in Wadowice, the basilica has a chapel dedicated to John Paul with a reliquary containing a drop of his blood. Associated Press file photo

Pope John Paul II greeted the faithful from the window of the palace of the Krakow bishops during his visit to Poland in 2002. The palace was the residence of Bishop Karol Wojtyla from 1963 until 1978, when he was chosen as pope and took the name of John Paul II. On his visits to the city, John Paul would stand in an open window and chat with the cheering crowd in the street. The "papal window" is now a gathering point on pope-related occasions. Associated Press file photo

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