The tomb of Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko () is a monumental grave marker of the Polish priest

Jerzy Popiełuszko Jerzy Popiełuszko ( born Alfons Popiełuszko; 14 September 1947 – 19 October 1984) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest who became associated with the opposition Solidarity trade union in communist Poland. He was murdered in 1984 by three ...

, designed by Jerzy Kalina, located in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. Popiełuszko was to be buried in the

Powązki Cemetery Powązki Cemetery (; ), also known as Stare Powązki (), is a historic necropolis located in Wola district, in the western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city and one of the oldest, having been established in 179 ...

. However, the parish priest of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Warsaw, Fr. Teofil Bogucki, the faithful and numerous friends of the murdered chaplain asked Primate

Józef Glemp Józef Glemp (18 December 192923 January 2013) was a Polish Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was List of bishops and archbishops of Warsaw, Archbishop of Warsaw from 1981 to 2006, and was elevated to the cardinalate ...

to bury the Popiełuszko in the church.

Background

, chaplain of the

Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

movement, was a resident and vicar in this parish, and in this church he celebrated Masses for Poland (1982–1984), during which he preached the message "Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good". He was assassinated by the Security Service on 19 October 1984. Popiełuszko's memorial grave is located in the grounds of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church at 2 Stanisław Hozjusz Street in the

Żoliborz Żoliborz () is one of the northern dzielnica, districts of the city of Warsaw. It is located directly to the north of the Warszawa-Śródmieście, City Centre, on the left bank of the Vistula river. It has approximately 50,000 inhabitants and is ...

district of Warsaw. The tomb is located under a large tree, near the eastern corner of the fenced-in area of the church. The tomb has the shape of a burial mound with a cross-shaped granite slab on top. In the immediate vicinity of the grave, on one of the trees, there is a crucifix created by Gustaw Zemła. The grave is surrounded by a rosary of cobblestones arranged in the shape of Polish borders. The link is in the form of a crowned eagle with

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

on its breast.

History

The funeral of Father

took place on 3 November 1984. The memorial grave was built in 1986 on the site of a wooden cross. The cross was already surrounded by a rosary of fieldstones arranged in the shape of Poland's borders. Since 1984 the shrine and the tomb of the priest became a place of pilgrimage. On 14 June 1987,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited the church. On 19 October 2004, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Father

's death, a solemn mass was held in St. Stanislaw Kostka, attended by more than 20,000 faithful. At the same time, a museum dedicated to Jerzy Popiełuszko was opened in the basement of the church. In April 2010, Fr. Popiełuszko's relics were exhumed and canonically discerned (this was a requirement of canon law). The grave was then renovated, and the body of the martyr was placed in the same place in a new coffin. It is estimated that till 2009 the site was visited by about 18 million people. Among those who prayed at the tomb were: * Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

* Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope

Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...

) * Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the German Bishops' Conference * Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, archbishop of Paris * Cardinal

Christoph Schönborn Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert Schönborn, OP (; born 22 January 1945) is a Bohemian-born Austrian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Vienna from 1995 until 2025. He was chairman of the Austrian Bishops' Conferen ...

, archbishop of Vienna, president of the Austrian Episcopal Conference * Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith * President of the Czech Republic

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...

* President of Georgia

Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil "Misha" Saakashvili (born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist. He was the third president of Georgia for two consecutive terms from 25 January 2004 to 17 November 2013. He is the founder and former chair ...

* President of the United States

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

* Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

* Prime Minister of Italy

Giulio Andreotti Giulio Andreotti ( ; ; 14 January 1919 – 6 May 2013) was an Italian politician and wikt:statesman, statesman who served as the 41st prime minister of Italy in seven governments (1972–1973, 1976–1979, and 1989–1992), and was leader of th ...

* Prime Minister of Hungary

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...

* President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering

References

{{coord, 52.26746, 20.98441, format=dms, type:landmark_region:PL, display=title Żoliborz Popiełuszko, Jerzy Jerzy Popiełuszko