Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland
Encyclopedia
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Our Lady of Sorrows
, Queen of Poland
, Our Lady of Licheń, or Virgin of Licheń
is a Roman Catholic icon
of the Virgin Mary
, most likely painted in 1772. The icon is housed at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen
, in central Poland, which was built to honor it, and receives about 1.5 million pilgrims per year.
Along with the Black Madonna of Częstochowa
, located in in Częstochowa
, southern Poland, the image is one of the two most venerated Marian images in Poland.
in 1813 and had a vision of the Virgin Mary who saved him from death and instructed him to look for the image upon his return to Poland. Kłossowski is then said to have looked for and found the image in the woods in Grąblin
as instructed.
According to oral tradition, in 1850 Kłossowski and his priest Nicholas Sikatce witnessed several apparitions of the Vrgin Mary who called for repentance and prayer. In the apparitions, the Virgin reportedly predicted war and a cholera epidemic, but also gave hope. During the cholera plague of 1852, the image became famous for performing miracles.
On September 29, 1852 the image was moved to the parish church in Licheń
and remained there until 2006. On August 15, 1967 the image was formally crowned by the Cardinal.
was started to house the image and accommodate the large number of pilgrims. Pope John Paul II blessed the basilica in 1999. The basilica is Poland's largest church, the seventh largest in Europe and eleventh in the world. On July 2, 2006 the image was placed in the main altar of the basilica.
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows , the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows , and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life...
, Queen of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Our Lady of Licheń, or Virgin of Licheń
Lichen Stary
Licheń Stary is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ślesin, within Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Ślesin, north-east of Konin, and east of the regional capital Poznań. The village has a population of 1,100.The...
is a Roman Catholic icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
of the Virgin Mary
Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)
Roman Catholic veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is based on Holy Scripture: In the fullness of time, God sent his son, born of a virgin. The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God through Mary thus signifies her honour as Mother of God...
, most likely painted in 1772. The icon is housed at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen
The Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń is a Roman Catholic church located in the village of Licheń Stary near Konin in the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Poland. It was designed by Barbara Bielecka and built between 1994 and 2004...
, in central Poland, which was built to honor it, and receives about 1.5 million pilgrims per year.
Along with the Black Madonna of Częstochowa
Black Madonna of Czestochowa
The Black Madonna of Częstochowa is a revered icon of the Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland.-The icon:The origins of the icon and the date of its composition are still hotly contested among scholars...
, located in in Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
, southern Poland, the image is one of the two most venerated Marian images in Poland.
Description
In the central image, the Virgin Mary has a gold dress, is being crowned by two angels and is surrounded by a ring of stars. Below the image a ribbon carries the inscription: "Queen of Poland, give us days of peace." The image measures 9.5 × 15.5 cm and is on larger panel of 16 × 25 cm. There is a second crown above the image, on the larger panel.Legend and history
According to legend, a Polish soldier (called Thomas Kłossowski) was wounded in the Battle of LeipzigBattle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
in 1813 and had a vision of the Virgin Mary who saved him from death and instructed him to look for the image upon his return to Poland. Kłossowski is then said to have looked for and found the image in the woods in Grąblin
Grablin
Grąblin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kramsk, within Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Kramsk, north-east of Konin, and east of the regional capital Poznań....
as instructed.
According to oral tradition, in 1850 Kłossowski and his priest Nicholas Sikatce witnessed several apparitions of the Vrgin Mary who called for repentance and prayer. In the apparitions, the Virgin reportedly predicted war and a cholera epidemic, but also gave hope. During the cholera plague of 1852, the image became famous for performing miracles.
On September 29, 1852 the image was moved to the parish church in Licheń
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
and remained there until 2006. On August 15, 1967 the image was formally crowned by the Cardinal.
The basilica
In 1994 the construction of the new basilica of Sanctuary of Our Lady of LichenSanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen
The Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń is a Roman Catholic church located in the village of Licheń Stary near Konin in the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Poland. It was designed by Barbara Bielecka and built between 1994 and 2004...
was started to house the image and accommodate the large number of pilgrims. Pope John Paul II blessed the basilica in 1999. The basilica is Poland's largest church, the seventh largest in Europe and eleventh in the world. On July 2, 2006 the image was placed in the main altar of the basilica.