Saint Hyacinth's Church

The Church of Saint Hyacinth on ulica Freta belongs to the Dominican convent and is one of the largest churches in Warsaw's New Town. Construction began in 1603 under the patronage of Anna Vasa, sister of Sigismund III, and dragged on until around 1639. Highlights include the Kotowski Chapel by Tylman van Gameren, a key work of Polish high Baroque, and the crypt with magnate sarcophagi. Marie Sklodowska-Curie was born just a few steps away at Freta 16, and the family had ties to the parish. In the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 the church was heavily damaged and several hundred wounded died in the improvised field hospital under the rubble. Reconstruction lasted until 1959. Today it is an active Dominican parish with its own youth ministry and a quiet cloister behind the church.