Skałka is a former defensive settlement situated on a limestone outcrop near the Wawel castle hill. Both locations are important historical landmarks, each housing a national pantheon. Skałka owes its significance to the martyrdom of Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Bishop of Krakow, at the hands of King Boleslaus the Brave in 1079. According to legend, the quartered body of the saint miraculously stitched itself back together right where the pond is located nowadays. The king had to flee the country, and after numerous miracles the Catholic Church canonised Bishop Stanislaus in 1253. The saint was laid to rest in Wawel Cathedral in 1089, but it is Skałka that has become the centre of his cult.
In 1472, Jan Długosz, Canon of Krakow, who had been worried about the growing disrepair of the Skałka sanctuary, entrusted it to the Pauline Fathers, whom he invited from the Jasna Góra monastery. The new hosts were tasked with caring for the holy place and spreading the cult of St Stanislaus through their ministry and example. The Paulines extended the church, erected the St Stanislaus Chapel and renovated the pond that the pilgrims drew water from, convinced of its healing properties. After centuries of tumultuous historical events, a new Baroque church was built between 1734 and 1751, designed by Antonio Solari. Directly adjacent to the church is the Pauline monastery, which was erected in several stages between 1633 and 1723.
Between 1876 and 1880, initiated by Józef Łepkowski, a national pantheon called the Crypt of the Distinguished was created, designed by Teofil Żebrawski. The Crypt is the final resting place of the most prominent Polish artists and scientists.