Bielany Hermitage

The Camaldolese hermitage on Srebrna Gora was founded in 1604 by Mikolaj Wolski and is the strictest monastic house in Poland: the Camaldolese combine hermit and community life, so behind the long white church front is a walled enclosure of individual hermitages, each monk with his own small house, garden and wall, meeting the others only for certain offices. The white limestone facade with two towers stands out from Krakow across the Vistula valley on a clear day. The rule bars women from the enclosure and from the church for most of the year, with a small number of feast days on which they may enter - a practice that is unusual enough to be the first thing most Poles mention about the place. Men may enter the church daily during set hours. There are crypts under the church where deceased monks were formerly placed in niches. The hill itself is wooded and part of the Bielany-Tyniec landscape park.

What you actually see

• A white two-towered facade - visible from across the Vistula valley.
• Individual hermitages - each monk with his own walled house and garden.
• The crypts - burial niches under the church.
• Wooded hill - Srebrna Gora, inside the Bielany-Tyniec landscape park.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Women are admitted only on a small number of days each year; check the dates before travelling. Men are admitted to the church at set hours only. The enclosure itself is closed to everyone. Silence is required.

Nearby

Tyniec abbey is a few kilometres south along the river.