Church of St. Casimir the Prince, Kraków

[1] Members of the Catholic Order of Franciscans known as "Little Brothers" arrived in Kraków in 1622 and settled at the outskirts of the town in Garbary (1625).

The chief benefactor of the church and the monastery was Franciszek Szembek, a local noble and the castellan of Kamieniec.

Unique climatic conditions found in the basement caused the bodies of the dead to undergo a process of natural mummification whereby they remain in an excellent state of preservation.

Monastic books reveal that in total almost 1,000 bodies were placed in the catacombs over the years, among them around 730 lay people and 250 monks.

The remains of the monks – all sitting down – are placed right under the chancel of the church, without coffins, directly on earth and sand.

Among the most notable corpses is the body of Countess Domicella Skalska, who was employed by the Church as a housemaid for 20 years.