This is the traditional residence of Kraków bishops since the late 14th century and second largest palace in Krakow. As Cardinal Karol Wojtyła,who in October 1978 became the first Slavic Pope in history, adopting the name John Paul II, Wojtyła had first lived in the complex during World War II, when he was a student of the clandestine Kraków Archdiocese Seminary run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha during the Nazi Occupation of Poland. Following an August 6, 1944 Nazi roundup of thousands of men and boys in Kraków, in which Wojtyła narrowly escaped capture, Sapieha insisted that the seminary students stay in the Bishop's Palace until the Germans left the city. It is best known for being the residence of Pope John Paul II during his stays in the city. He used to give his blessings and talk to his followers from a window above the main entrance at night.Following John Paul II's death on April 2, 2005, some 40,000 Catholics gathered in front of the palace for a night vigil and prayer