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Calvary Sanctuary in Kalwaria
Zebrzydowska
In 1600 Poland’s first Calvary sanctuary
was established in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, a town
in the Carpathian Foothills 33 km southwest from Krakow, to provide
pilgrims with a substitute of Jerusalem lost to
the Muslim Turks and thus unavailable. With its
42 churches and chapels of all shapes and sizes
in addition to the central basilica and the
Franciscan monastery, the vast complex of
buildings scattered among woods on the slopes of
the 527-meter-high Zar mountain grew to be the biggest
such compound in Europe. It is also Poland’s
second most important historic destination for pilgrims.
Over ages the pilgrimage to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
influenced millions of Poles. And one frequent
pilgrim proved very special–Pope John Paul II, born in nearby
Wadowice.
UNESCO
has entered the
sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska in its list of
the World Heritage sites.
The
santuary's places of interest
The 17th-century Baroque church of the
Angelic Mother of God’s adjoins the Franciscan
monastery of the same age. Their most worshiped
place is the chapel with Our Lady of Kalwaria
miraculous picture, followed by the chapel of St.
Anthony of Padua. It is the starting point of
several overlapping pilgrimage circuits, the
Passion Path in the first place, laid out in
hilly woodland from one Baroque chapel to
another. Each of the 42 tiny churches is
different and represents a Jerusalem site
prominent in the New Testament and/or the
Christian tradition, be it the Virgin Mary’s
Cottage or Herod’s Place, while hills and
streams bear such names as Zion, Golgotha, and
Mount of Olives.
Holy
traditions and famous festivals
Pilgrimages
to the Kalwaria sanctuary best exemplify Polish
grassroots Catholicism. Pilgrims usually come in
large groups to pray and contemplate together.
And the Good Friday feasts, when the famous
traditional lifelike Passion plays are enacted in
the scenery of the sanctuary, draw huge crowds
every year. Another feast brings in faithful
multitudes on August 15, the Assumption day.
The town
of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
The Calvary sanctuary, immensely popular with
pilgrims from the outset, soon gave rise to the
town of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska that has also been
famous for its cabinetmakers since the mid 18th century.
Nowadays some 1,500 artisans manufacture
classy furniture, customized and largely
hand-made, in the town of 4,500 or so. Every July
they exhibit their skill at month-long furniture
fairs.
Czestochowa
Jasna Gora Sanctuary in Czestochowa
is the holiest place of Poland and one of the
world’s most important destinations for
pilgrims.
Sanctuary
of Divine Mercy
Humble nun’s visions in the 1930s
gave rise to a world-wide spiritual movement
inside the Catholic Church, ever stronger
nowadays, with the center in her Krakow convent.
Krakow's
Skalka Sanctuary
Poland’s second holiest shrine at the
site of St. Stanislav’s 1079 martyrdom.
Splendid Baroque church and fine monastery
modeled on a Renaissance castle.
Other
UNESCO World Heritage sites in Krakow and the Malopolska Province
Krakow's
Old Town historic district
Auschwitz
concentration camp
The
Calvary sanctuary of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Malopolska's
wooden churches
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Our Lady of Kalwaria is one of Poland's
holiest icons.
In
the proximity of Krakow
Krakow is Poland's tourist mecca, and
also a gateway to many other must-see sites in
the region.
Malopolska
Province
Poland
map
City
of Krakow map
Krakow
Poland's prime tourist attraction and a
must in Central Europe boasts numerous
world-class monuments, charming vistas,
delightful atmosphere, and the best restaurants.
In
the footsteps of Pope John Paul II
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