Description of the attraction
The Kamaldulov Monastery is a Catholic church located in Krakow on the Silver Mountain in the southwestern part of the Wolski Forest. Another name for the monastery is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The monks who live in the monastery wear a white robe with a hood and a belt, and their day begins at 3:30 in the morning. Monks live in houses - sketes, they meet only during mass, prayer and in the refectory. Work, prayer, reading, meditation, repentance, fasting, silence, loneliness - this is their service to God.
Currently, there are only 9 such monasteries in the world, where about 80 monks live.
The monastery was founded by Nikolai Volsky on February 22, 1604. Monks immediately settled here, living according to their own strict rules based on the veneration of St. Benedict. Construction continued until 1630. The first seven years were directed by the architect Valentin von Sabisch, then the project was taken over by the Italian architect Andrei Spetza. The monastery was built on the model of similar buildings in Italy, with a special symmetry and an east-west axis. The interior was designed by Ioann Falconi, Tommaso Dolabella, Mikhail Stakovich. In 1642 the church was consecrated.
In the basement of the church there is a chapel and a crypt where the mummified remains of monks are kept. The church is adjoined by two symmetrical courtyards: one with monastery buildings, a refectory and a kitchen, and to the south - a guest courtyard. To the east lies a sacred zone of silence and solitude. In a large square, divided into small gardens, there are several rows of houses - sketes where monks live.
The monastery is surrounded by forests, and its territory is fenced off by a high wall. The towers of the monastery, located on a high hill, are well lit in the evening and at night due to the proximity of the airport, so the monastery can be seen from afar.
