The heart in the pillar
Chopin's heart in Holy Cross
Chopin's heart rests in a pillar of Holy Cross Church in Warsaw: how his sister carried it home, how it survived the war and what you can see today.
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Chopin's heart is kept in a pillar on the left side of the upper church at Holy Cross Church on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw. His sister Ludwika brought it from Paris to Poland in 1850. It was hidden during the Second World War and returned to the rebuilt church on 17 October 1945. His body lies in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
What is in the pillar
An urn holding the heart of Frédéric Chopin is set into a pillar of the upper church at Holy Cross Church. The Chopin Institute's catalogue places it in the left pillar of the upper church. A tablet marks the spot. Chopin died in Paris on 17 October 1849 and was buried at Père Lachaise, but he had asked that his heart go home to Poland. The Chopin Institute's catalogue adds that the heart was moved to its present place in 1880.
How the heart reached Warsaw
After the autopsy in Paris the heart was preserved in alcohol, probably cognac, and sealed in a crystal jar. His eldest sister, Ludwika Jędrzejewicz, carried it to Poland in early 1850, concealing it under her clothing at the borders. At first it was kept in her Warsaw home and was later moved to Holy Cross Church. Sources differ on the years of the later steps, so for the pillar this guide quotes the Chopin Institute's catalogue.
Why the heart came home
Chopin lived in Paris from 1831 and never returned to Poland. He died there on 17 October 1849, aged 39, and was buried at Père Lachaise. He had asked that his heart be returned to his homeland, and his sister Ludwika carried it back. The heart in the pillar is a lasting link between the composer, who lived abroad, and the city he left.
The church
Holy Cross Church is a Baroque church on Krakowskie Przedmieście, opposite the University of Warsaw. Its main building was built in the late 17th century, and its two towers were added by Józef Fontana in the first half of the 18th. Today it is a basilica run by the Congregation of the Mission, and it was designated a Historic Monument of Poland in 1994. The façade was refurbished by Jakub Fontana in 1756.
The war years
In the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 the Germans detonated mines in the church on 6 September, destroying the façade, vaulting and high altar, and they blew the church up in January 1945. The heart was removed from the church during the war, and Bishop Antoni Szlagowski kept it at Milanówek. On 17 October 1945, the anniversary of Chopin's death, it was returned to the rebuilt church in Warsaw.
Rebuilding and the 2014 inspection
The church was rebuilt in simplified form between 1945 and 1953, and its main altar was reconstructed later. In April 2014 church officials, scientists and Chopin Institute representatives took the jar from the pillar for a visual inspection and found the heart intact. The jar was not opened. Examiners recommended another inspection in about fifty years.
Visiting
The pillar is inside the upper church, which is a working place of worship, so keep your voice low and check the church's own pages for opening arrangements and any visiting rules. The church is next door to the Krasiński Palace annex where Chopin lived. It pairs well with an evening recital in the Old Town.
Who this isn't for
Visiting the pillar is not for anyone who wants an exhibit with panels and objects; it is a quiet place in a church. If you want the composer's manuscripts and letters, the Chopin Museum is the better stop. And if you cannot step inside a church for any reason, the story still reads well on its own in this guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Chopin's heart?
In a pillar on the left side of the upper church at Holy Cross Church on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw.
Where is the rest of Chopin buried?
In Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where he was buried after dying on 17 October 1849.
Who brought the heart to Poland?
His sister Ludwika Jędrzejewicz carried it from France in early 1850.
Sources