this late gothic temple was founded by the Archbishop of Gniezno – Jarosław Bogoria Skotnicki, and built in 1353. From his initiative the church became collegiate in 1359. After some destruction in the second half of the 18^th century, it was rebuilt in the year 1790 in a late baroque style with a tower in the facade. In the side aisle of the temple there is a chapel with a miraculous painting of the Holy Family, which was decorated with papal tiaras in 1796. St. Joseph Sanctuary in Kalisz is the oldest center of devotion to St. Joseph in the world. Inside there are valuable monuments of sacred art. In the church’s basements there is a chapel – a monument to honour the martyrdom of Polish clergy in Dachau. In 1978 Pope Paul VI elevated the church to the rank of basilica minor. Pope John Paul II prayed there on 4^th June 1997.