Sanctuary of St Stanislaus, Szczepanów

Szczepanów, a village a few kilometres from Brzesko, is by tradition the birthplace of St Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Bishop of Kraków and patron saint of Poland. The brick neo-Gothic basilica with its tall tower encloses a Gothic church from 1470, founded by none other than Jan Długosz, the medieval chronicler, who was parish priest here. It is one of the most important shrines in the Diocese of Tarnów.

History: Długosz, Sas-Zubrzycki and war

Tradition says the first wooden church here was built by St Stanislaus's parents. The brick church was built in 1470 on the initiative of the then parish priest Jan Długosz, chronicler and canon of Kraków. In 1911–1914 parish priest Szczepan Kossecki added a large new church designed by Jan Sas-Zubrzycki. Długosz's church was not demolished – it became a side aisle of the new basilica.

A few months after construction ended, the First World War broke out. On 23 November 1914, during the fighting, the church caught fire; the flames engulfed the old part, destroying the roof, the wooden ceiling and historic furnishings. It was rebuilt in 1925–1927 and consecrated in 1930 by Bishop Edward Komar. In 2003 John Paul II – who as Karol Wojtyła had visited Szczepanów many times – made it a minor basilica. The decision was announced by the papal legate, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI.

What to see

• The old Gothic aisle – on the right, with a late Baroque altar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This is Długosz's church, absorbed into the new building.
• The high altar designed by Sas-Zubrzycki, with a painting of St Stanislaus, figures of Saints Peter and Paul and scenes from the patron's life. Above the painting is the Piast eagle.
• Wall paintings by Makarewicz from 1959–1961 and a pulpit with reliefs of the four evangelists.
• A 17th-century stone portal at the sacristy entrance, bearing the Ostoja and Dębno coats of arms.
• Bells from 1519 and 1534 in the five-storey tower – older than the present church.

The Nativity Chapel and the oak

The village also has the Chapel of the Nativity of St Stanislaus, built in 1861. Tradition says the bishop was born in a nearby house under an oak, beside a spring where his mother washed the child. The trunk of that oak is kept in the chapel. Two successive wooden chapels once enclosed it; the present one is masonry. During a recent restoration it turned out to be a single tree with its root system intact. You can see the core of the trunk from outside through a small window glazed with original 19th-century cast glass.

Tripto tip

Szczepanów lies about 5 km north-east of central Brzesko. Allow about an hour for the basilica and the Nativity Chapel. The main church festival lasts eight days, from the Sunday before to the Sunday after the feast of St Stanislaus (8 May); smaller festivals are held in April and July. That is when most pilgrims come – if you prefer quiet, choose another date. It is a working parish church: see the interior outside Mass times, and check current service hours on the parish website.