In Małopolska, you will find many magnificent churches that are priceless monuments of Polish identity. The region is most known for its Marian devotion and the Passion Mysteries, which attract crowds of pilgrims every year. The whole Małopolska region is also dotted with memorials dedicated to St. John Paul II: in Kraków (including the Archbishop’s Palace at 3 Franciszkańska Street, the Sanctuary in Łagiewniki, the John Paul II Center, the graves of the Holy Father’s parents at Rakowicki Cemetery, and Błonia – the site of papal masses), as well as in his hometown Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Raciborowice, and Podhale. Małopolska is home to over 100 famous sanctuaries. Below are some of the most important.
Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków – Łagiewniki
The most frequently visited church in Kraków, consecrated by John Paul II in 2002. Pilgrims come here to pray before the image of Merciful Jesus, painted based on the visions of St. Faustina. Her relics rest in the monastery chapel next to the sanctuary. Nearby is the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II the Great, part of the John Paul II Center “Do not be afraid!”.
Sanctuary of Divine Mercy,
3 Siostry Faustyny Street, Kraków
Sanctuary of St. Stanislaus in Kraków
At the site of the Pauline monastery on Skałka, in 1079, St. Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Bishop of Kraków, was martyred by King Bolesław II the Generous. He is now the patron saint of Poland. Skałka is also the resting place of many distinguished Poles, including Stanisław Wyspiański and Czesław Miłosz. Due to its picturesque location by the Vistula River, it is one of the most attractive places in Kraków.
Sanctuary of the Martyrdom of St. Stanislaus on Skałka,
15 Skałeczna Street, Kraków
Sanctuary of St. Joseph – Discalced Carmelites Monastery in Wadowice
Karol Wojtyła often attended St. Joseph’s Church “on the Hill.” After his First Holy Communion, he received his first scapular here. The relic of the papal scapular is now exhibited in the church. In 2004, the image of St. Joseph in the main altar was adorned with the Fisherman’s Ring of John Paul II, and the “On the Hill” church was granted the title of sanctuary.
Sanctuary of St. Joseph – Discalced Carmelites Monastery,
22 Karmelicka Street, Wadowice
Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
The local Baroque church from the 17th century is famous for the miraculous image of Our Lady of Kalwaria. It is also the center of an extensive Marian and Passion complex consisting of 45 sites. The Cultural and Landscape Complex of the Monastery and Pilgrims’ Park was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1999.
Passion-Marian Sanctuary – Bernardine Monastery,
46 Bernardyńska Street, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Sanctuary of Our Lady Help of Christians in Oświęcim
The history of the Salesian church dates back to the first half of the 14th century. The temple was officially elevated to the rank of a local Marian sanctuary in 1997. A special proof of the Helper’s grace and power is considered the miraculous survival of the church during the largest Allied bombing raid on Oświęcim on September 13, 1944.
Sanctuary of Our Lady Help of Christians,
8 Jagiełły Street, Oświęcim
Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary in Bochnia
For four centuries, pilgrims have come here to venerate Our Lady of Bochnia. The miraculous image is a 15th-century copy of the Jasna Góra icon. In the 17th century, it was listed among the most revered Marian images in the entire Christian world.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Nicholas Basilica,
9 St. Kinga Square, Bochnia
Sanctuary of Our Lady Queen of Podhale in Ludźmierz
Ludźmierz, near Nowy Targ, is the oldest parish in Podhale. The main altar of the local church houses the 15th-century miraculous figure of Our Lady Queen of Podhale. Each September, a harvest festival with exceptionally rich ceremonies takes place here.
Sanctuary of Our Lady Queen of Podhale,
124 John Paul II Street, Ludźmierz
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Krzeptówki, Zakopane
One of the youngest sanctuaries in the region – consecrated in 1992. It venerates the figure of Our Lady of Fatima, gifted by the Bishop of Fatima in the 1960s to Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. The temple is a votive offering of thanks for saving Pope John Paul II’s life during the 1981 assassination attempt. The treasury holds many memorabilia related to him.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Zakopane – Krzeptówki,
14 Krzeptówki Street, Zakopane
Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów
Once famous throughout Europe. When Jerusalem was closed to Christians, pilgrims traveled here. The cloisters contain two chapels: one with a Holy Sepulchre built in the 16th century, modeled after the first tomb chamber where Christ was buried, and another with a copy of the Shroud of Turin.
Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre,
1 Warszawska Street, Miechów
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows in Staniątki
The oldest Benedictine nuns’ monastery in Poland, founded in 1200. The miraculous image of Our Lady of Sorrows here is a Gothic painting originating from Italy.
St. Adalbert Abbey of Benedictine Nuns,
299 Staniątki, Niepołomice
Cistercian Monastery in Szczyrzyc
Operating continuously since the 13th century. The monastery church houses the image of Our Lady of Szczyrzyc. The museum features collections of coins, weapons, minerals, and even a unique set of labels from Szczyrzyc beer.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Szczyrzyc,
1 Szczyrzyc
Sanctuary of St. Kinga in Stary Sącz
The founder of the local Poor Clares monastery was St. Kinga, who settled there after the death of her husband, Duke Bolesław the Chaste. The strict rule meant the sisters left the monastery only three times in history: in the 13th century fleeing Tatars, in the 18th century after the monastery was closed by the Austrians, and in the 20th century for St. Kinga’s canonization mass. The monastery houses John Paul II’s papal attire from the canonization mass and, in the chapel by the church in the Baroque altar, a silver reliquary with St. Kinga’s relics.
Poor Clares Monastery in Stary Sącz,
1 St. Kinga Square, Stary Sącz
Church of Saints Hermits Świerad and Benedict in Tropie
One of the oldest temples in Małopolska. Picturesquely situated on the shores of Lake Czchowskie, it stands where, according to tradition, St. Świerad lived in a lime tree trunk. In the presbytery, priceless Romanesque wall paintings depict St. Stephen, King of Hungary.
Parish of Saints Hermits Świerad and Benedict,
6 Tropie
Sanctuaries in Tarnów
Tarnów has three sanctuaries. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows is located in the Cathedral Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, famous for Renaissance tombs of the Tarnowski family. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Scapular is in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Burek, where a 16th-century image of Our Lady of the Scapular is kept. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima protects the relics of Franciszek and Hiacynta – the children of Fatima who witnessed the Marian apparitions.
Cathedral Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2 Kapitulna Street
Parish of Our Lady of the Scapular, 1 NMP Street
Parish of St. Joseph and Our Lady of Fatima, 39 Fatimska Avenue