Special mention should be made of the church’s two-storey façade with triangular pediment. The lower storey houses stone statues of SS. Peter and Paul, while those of St. Florian, St. Kazimierz, St. Michael the Archangel and the Guardian Angel can be found on the upper storey. The top of the façade is decorated with two low reliefs of St. Francis de Sales, carried on a cloud by angels, and a scene representing the Visitation of Our Lady. The portal with Corinthian columns has a semicircular finial; it contains a wooden, iron-plated door adorned with a grating and decorative elements. Just above, a marble tablet bears information about the patron and founder of the church. The late-Renaissance gallery over the portal, which is highly decorative, was used by trumpeters during ceremonial processions.
Another item of historical interest is the sundial on the elevation of the convent, bearing the motto “Life is a short dream”.

The interior of the aisleless church is particularly attractive, with rich baroque ornamentation. The high altar is flanked by six side altars and a late-baroque pulpit. The altars are dedicated to:

• St. Jane Frances de Chantal, cofounder of the Visitation Order. The altar holds a crowned image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, brought from Rome by Cardinal Albin Dunajewski,
• The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with the reliquary of St. Margherita Maria Alacoque, Nun of the Visitation from Paray-le-Monial, to whom Jesus revealed the secrets of His heart,
• The Crucified Jesus,
• St. Mary Magdalene. The relics of St. Fructuosus, a martyr from the first centuries of Christianity, are situated in the lower part of the mensa. They were donated by Queen Maria Sobieska,
• St. John the Baptist – patron of the church’s founder,
• St. Augustine, whose monastic rule was used by St. Francis de Sales as a basis for the Constitution of the Nuns of the Order of the Visitation.

The church’s vault is covered by a polychrome depicting scenes from the life of the holy founders and the history of the Cracovian congregation. This was created during renovation work by painter Andrzej Radwański after a fire in 1755, which spread through the convent buildings and also caused great destruction in the church. During the fire, the organ and organ gallery, as well as the high altar and side altars, were damaged. The murals on the vault required complete restoration. The side altars were renovated fairly quickly, while a painting by Paweł Pieleszyński, “The Visitation”, was added to the high altar on the upper store, complementing the painting of St. Francis de Sales adoring the Madonna with Child.

The Church of the Visitandines has been visited by many a church dignitary. It was eagerly frequented by Albin Dunajewski, a long-term confessor and chaplain of the Sisters, before he was nominated Cardinal. Cardinal August Hlond, who later became Primate of Poland, was ordained in the church and celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination here in 1931. The tradition of the annual celebration of Holy Mass by successive arch-prelates on the day of St. Francis de Sales dates back to Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha. The tradition was upheld by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II.

Weekday Masses: 7.15am; 6.00pm (summer holidays: 7.15am)
Sunday and Holy Day Masses: 8.00am; 10.30am; 12.00pm; 5.00pm
Masses in honour of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (1st Friday of the month): 8.30am; 6.00pm
Mass in honour of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1st Saturday of the month): 6.00pm

Services
Holy Hour – Thursday before 1st Friday of the month
Adoration of the Holy Sacrament – 1st Friday of the month: 9.30am – 6.00pm
Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help – 2nd Sunday of the month after 5.00pm Mass
May, June and October Masses

Indulgences
24 January – St. Francis de Sales
9 May – St. Fructuosus
31 May – Visitation of Our Lady (patron feast of the Nuns of the Visitation)
Movable feast day – Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
12 August – St. Jane Frances de Chantal (moved to the nearest Sunday)
14 October – St. Margherita Maria Alacoque