Holy Lipka

Święta Lipka is one of the most well-known and beloved sanctuaries in north-eastern Poland, and the church and Jesuit monastery are among the greatest baroque gems of our country. Various sources provide different dates for the beginnings of Marian worship at this site (between the 12th and 14th centuries). According to legend, a convicted criminal placed a handcrafted figurine of the Mother of God on a linden tree by the roadside as an offering for saving his life. Soon, this place began to be famous for miracles, and pilgrims arrived in increasing numbers.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the authorities of Protestant Ducal Prussia (at that time this place belonged to this country) prohibited Catholic pilgrimages to this site. Despite this, people came for prayer secretly. A hundred years later, the Polish king purchased these lands and erected a chapel on the site, where a baroque church and monastery were built at the end of the 17th century.

In the three-nave interior of the temple, the gilded pillars, balustrades, and beautiful polychrome draw attention. Since the 18th century, the main altar has featured a revered painting, which is a copy of the image of the Snowy Mother of God from the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

A very valuable element of the church's furnishings is also the beautiful 18th-century organ.

Renata Gontarz

Photo: Zbigniew Gontarz

If anyone is interested in sacred architecture, I also invite you to the website "Churches in Poland."

https://propozycjenadzis.blogspot.com/