Tomb of Casimir IV Jagiellon

[1][2] The German sculptor Veit Stoss had moved to Kraków from Nuremberg in 1477 to work on the altarpiece of St. Mary's Basilica, carving it in wood and completing it in 1489.

Stoss was then commissioned[note 1] to create, in red marble, a tomb for Casimir in the city's Wawel Cathedral,[4][5] which he worked on between 1492 and 1496.

The arches are supported by marble pillars, the capitals of which feature biblical scenes and are signed by Stoss's assistant, Jörg Huber of Passau.

[10] As part of this project, permission was given by the Archbishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyła – the future Pope John Paul II – to open the tomb of Casimir and Elizabeth in May 1973.

[12] The restoration work was then carried out and, once it had been completed, Casimir and Elizabeth were re-interred in a ceremony held in the cathedral on 18 September 1973,[10] with Archbishop Wojtyła conducting the service.

[12][14] This type of fungus produces toxic substances called aflatoxins which are linked to a number of serious health conditions affecting the liver and are highly carcinogenic.

[17] The Black Spider, a 1985 opera by British composer Judith Weir, includes as one of its stories the opening of Casimir's tomb in 1973 and the subsequent deaths.

[18] Kraków journalist Zbigniew Święch [pl] published a book in 1989 telling the story of the opening of Casimir's tomb and the investigation into the subsequent deaths.