Poland is one of those European countries where religion manifest itself in a specific manner and where one finds many churches, religious monuments, chapels, monasteries.

Sanktuarium Najświętszej Maryi Panny Jasnogórskiej w Częstochowie

This monastery, located in the city of Częstochowa, has been a destination for pilgrimages for hundreds of years - as it contains the most important icon of the Virgin Mary in this part of Europe.

The icon depicts the Mother of God with her child, Christ, and is also known as the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, or Our Lady of Częstochowa. This icon is advocated with many miracles, among these with saving the Jasna Góra monastery, miraculously, during a seige during a Swedish invation in the 17th century.

Licheń

In a small town by the name of Licheń close to Konin, one finds a renown sanctuary in Poland, devoted and known for its spectacular painting of the Virgin Mary. The sanctuary dates back to 1813, and an estimate of about one million pilgrims visit the place a year.

During their stay in Licheń, most pilgrims go to confession, and reconciliation with God in the Sanctuary. Licheń is not known as a touristic place, although the area is picturesque. It is a place for spiritual revival, earnest, faithful and trusting prayers - said to the Holy Virgin, healer of body and soul, by pilgrims.

Calvary Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (Kalwaria Zebrzydowska)

Poland’s first Calvary sanctuary was established in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska in 1600, a town among the Carpathian foothills, close to Krakow. It was created to provide pilgrims with a subsititute with the lost Jerusalem to Muslim Turks, making it unavailable.

The vast complex buildings scattered among woods on the slopes of the Zar Mountain grew to be a the largest compound in Europe; with 42 churches and chapels of various shapes and sizes, as well as the Franciscan monastery and the central basilica. The sanctuary has become Poland’s second most important historic destination for pilgrims.

Święta Lipka

This is a small town in Mazury, attracting pilgrimages from the farthest corners in Poland since the middle ages. Here one finds the Santuary of Mary with a beautiful painting of the Mother of Christ . The famous Marian sanctuary has been listed as one of the most magnificent objects of the late Baroque in Poland. In an almost unchanged state, the complex consists of a church, monastery and cloisters, which holds preserved rich and varied ornamentation. The ornamentation consists sculptures of stone and wood, wall and canvas paintings, goldsmith’s and wood carvers’ objects, along with artistic blacksmith works and ironworks - in such arrangements and richness that cannot be found elsewhere.

The picture also includes the picture perfect landscape at the bottom of a valley encompassed by forests. Święta Lipka has become a holiday resort, with the lakes and forests continuously attracting tourists.

Góra Świętej Anny

With a height of 406 meters about sea level, this mountain is located nearby Opole. The Mountain of St. Anne is a unique place for a few reasons: it is a holy place to which thousands of pilgrimages are faithful, it is a dormant, errupted volcano from millions of years ago, it is a unique historical moment, and it is a place of the heroic defeat of the Slask Uprising.

Kalwaria Pacławska

Kalwaria Pacławska is a small town in eastern Poland close to the Ukrainian border. Small, yet very charming, the sanctuary is embedded on the top of a hill, which symbolizes a special meeting place for a man with God, in a biblical sense.

Surrounded by natural beauty, God speaks to the human heart. The sanctuary extends to the surrounding hills and valleys, meadows and forests, with faithful chapels, bringing mysteries of faith from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Ludźmierz

The village of Ludźmierz is situated about 85 km from Cracow. The building of the famous church which the village is known for began in 1234 and was complete in 1238. It was operated by the Cistercians until 1824. The cult of Our Lady of Ludźmierz, based in the Sanctuary found in Ludźmierz, is strongly identified by the Goral people who live in the surrounding Tatra Mountains.