Christian Kazimierz

Krakow, Poland - Kazimierz is famous as the Jewish quarter (as per my previous post), but the western part of town has always been traditionally Catholic.

Indeed, one of Krakow's most important churches is located here, on the banks of the Vistula River. This is the Church of SS Michael & Stanislaus - better known as Skalka, or "rock". This is the site of the martyrdom of the Bishop Stanislaw of Szczepanow, who is now the patron saint of Poland.
Back in the 11th century, there was a power struggle between the Bishop and the King. Some sources claim that this was actually a land dispute, in which the bishop resurrected a dead land owner to act as a witness on his behalf. (That does not really seem fair.) Other stories say that the bishop publicly chastised the king for his immoral behavior - bad move. In any case, the dispute resulted in the excommunication of King Boleslaw the Bold, which didn't do much for his political career.
The King decided to have the Bishop killed. I'm not sure Boleslaw really thought this through... did he really think that murdering the bishop would improve his moral standing?
Nonetheless he went through with it. The story goes that Stanslaw was saying Mass at the Skalka when Boleslaw slew him, cutting off his head and hacking his body to pieces. Sorry for the gory details, but it's an important part of the story. You can even see the tree trunk where the bishop was beheaded, as it is kept in a glass case next to the altar.

The parts were then tossed into the pond near the church. But upon entry into the holy water, the body miraculously reformed. Even today, this small pool near the church is said to have healing powers (though it stinks of sulphur).
People were obviously awed by this amazing display - as if resurrecting the dead land owner had not been enough. The late Stanislaw quickly developed a sort of cult following. In 1245, his remains were moved to a place of honor in Wawel Castle and in 1253 he was canonized.
Now he is honored every year on May 8, when the Bishop of Krakow leads a procession from Wawel Castle to the Skalka Church. He is the patron saint of Poland. And King Boleslaw the Bold gets nothin'.
The Skalka has become a sort of a national shrine. The crypt contains the tombs of many of Poland's greatest cultural figures, including composer Karol Szymanowski and painter Stanislaw Wyspianski. And the grounds contain a monument to the Top Five Polish Saints. Buy you a beer if you can name them.