The Jasna Góra Monastery ( pl, Jasna Góra , ''Luminous Mount'', hu, Fényes Hegy, lat, Clarus Mons) in Częstochowa,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, is a shrine dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

and one of the country's places of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

. The image of the

Black Madonna of Częstochowa The Black Madonna of Częstochowa ( pl, Czarna Madonna / Matka Boska Częstochowska; la, Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae, in Claro Monte, lit=Miraculous Image of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary ...

, also known as

Our Lady of Częstochowa Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...

, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is one of Jasna Góra's most precious treasures.' The site is one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (''

Pomnik historii Historic Monument ( pl, pomnik historii) is one of several categories of objects of cultural heritage (in the singular, '' zabytek'') in Poland. To be recognized as a Polish historic monument, an object must be declared such by the President ...

'') and is tracked by the National Heritage Board of Poland.

History

Jasna Góra Monastery was founded in 1382 by Pauline monks who came from Hungary at the invitation of Władysław, Duke of Opole. The monastery has been a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of years, and it contains an important icon of the

. The icon, depicting the Mother of God with the Christ Child, is known as the

or Our Lady of Częstochowa, which is widely venerated and credited with many miracles.' Among these, it is credited with miraculously saving the Jasna Góra

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

during the

Siege of Jasna Góra The siege of Jasna Góra (also known less accurately as the ''Battle of Częstochowa'', pl , Oblężenie Jasnej Góry) took place in the winter of 1655 during the Second Northern War, or 'The Deluge' – as the Swedish invasion of ...

that took place at the time of

The Deluge The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is the Hebrew version of the universal flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the microc ...

, a 17th-century

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

invasion. The event stimulated the Polish resistance. The Poles could not immediately change the course of the war, but, after an alliance with the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the long ...

, they repulsed the Swedes. Shortly thereafter, in the cathedral of Lwów (

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

), on April 1, 1656,

Jan Kazimierz John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...

, the King of Poland, solemnly pronounced his vow to consecrate the country to the protection of the

Mother of God ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations ar ...

and proclaimed Her the Patron and

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

of the lands in his kingdom. Among the monastery's most important exhibits is the medal from the 1983

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...

received by

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democrati ...

, the former Polish president and trade-union organizer.

Walking pilgrimages

Every year since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, thousands of Poles go in pilgrim groups to visit Jasna Góra. In 2011, it was estimated that 3.2 million pilgrims from 80 countries around the world went to the shrine. Around 830,000 pilgrims took part in 228 pilgrimages organized in different places across Poland, 143, 983 of which reached the monastery on foot. The average distance for a pilgrim group to travel is about , made in 11 days.

Monastic etiquette

There are typically numerous pilgrims and tourists at Jasna Góra Monastery, and the volume of excited voices can be high. However, upon entering the Monastery, it is expected etiquette for visitors to be silent or as quiet as possible out of respect. Often, there is a long line of people who wait to approach the shrine of the

. Upon arriving at the place of the shrine at which one would pass in front of the icon of Our Lady, it is expected and a sign of respect for pilgrims to drop to their knees, and traverse the anterior of the shrine on their knees.

Gallery

File:A-1278 Jasna Góra Rafał Peplinski 15.JPG, Jasna Góra Monastery File:Czestochowa-bazylika.jpg, The main nave of the basilica File:JasnaGóra UroczystościWniebowzięciaMatkiBoskiej2005 2.JPG, Pilgrims arriving for the Feast of the Assumption File:B16 Jasna Góra 2006.JPG,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

on Jasna Góra in 2006 File:Tschenstochau-2.jpg, View of the tower File:Częstochowa - Jasna Góra - Kaplica MB Częstochowskiej.JPG, Interior of the monastery File:Częstochowa - Jasna Góra, Sala Rycerska AL01.JPG, Knights' Chamber File:Ołtarz główny Bazyliki Jasnogórskiej.jpg, Main Altar File:Basilica Jasna Góra.jpg, Organs inside the main building File:Częstochowa, Brama Lubomirskich - fotopolska.eu (276210).jpg,

Lubomirski The House of Lubomirski is a Polish princely family. The Lubomirski family's coat of arms is the Drużyna coat of arms, which is similar to the Szreniawa coat of arms but without a cross. Origin and the coat of arms The Lubomirski fa ...

Gate File:Czestochowa (PL) 90.JPG, Statues in the monastery File:A-1278 Jasna Góra Rafał Peplinski 3.JPG, Pilgrims visiting the monastery in 2012 File:A-1278 Jasna Góra Rafał Peplinski 6.JPG, Monastery building File:Częstochowa - Jasna Góra, Park AL04.JPG, View of the park

References

Bibliography

* * * *

Notes

External links

Jasna Góra website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jasna Gora Monastery Buildings and structures in Częstochowa Christian monasteries in Poland Shrines to the Virgin Mary Black Madonna of Częstochowa Basilica churches in Poland Pauline monasteries Churches in Silesian Voivodeship