Bernardine Monastery and Basilica in Rzeszów

In the chancel of the Bernardine church in Rzeszów, eight members of the Ligęza family kneel in prayer – life-size, carved in alabaster and facing the altar. It is said to be the largest group of alabaster praying figures in Europe. The church itself, built by Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza and handed over to the friars in 1629, was at once a family mausoleum, a Marian shrine and a fort in the town's defences. Today it is a minor basilica and the shrine of Our Lady of Rzeszów, the city's patron.

History: a pear tree, a fortress and stolen crowns

According to the friars' tradition, on 15 August 1513 a small statue of the Virgin appeared on a pear tree in the orchard of a townsman, Jakub Ado. Art historians note that the late Gothic statue itself, carved from pear wood, dates from as early as the 15th century. A small wooden church was built for the growing crowds of pilgrims in 1531–1536.

The stone church was funded by Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza, castellan of Sandomierz; construction is often said to have begun in 1610, though some researchers favour 1624. On 25 March 1629 the church and monastery were handed over to the Bernardines (Observant Franciscans). The building stood on a rise surrounded by an artificial lake and served as an advanced corner fort of the town's fortifications: its tower had gun loops, and its walls sheltered townspeople in times of danger. The founder died in 1637 and, as he wished, was buried beneath the church threshold.

The statue was crowned on 8 September 1763. The crowns were stolen in 1866 and again later; a new coronation in 1896 drew about 60,000 faithful. In 1999 Our Lady of Rzeszów was proclaimed patron of the city, and in 2008 the church was made a minor basilica.

What to see

• The Ligęza mausoleum – monuments from before 1637, attributed to Sebastian Sala. Seven of the eight figures wear armour; the eighth, Feliks Ligęza, Archbishop of Lviv, wears pontifical robes. Marble plaques with obituary-style texts are set beneath the niches.
• The Chapel of Our Lady – the late Gothic statue in a gilded Baroque altar funded by Jerzy Ignacy Lubomirski, with medallions of scenes from the life of Mary and votive paintings on the walls.
• Oak choir stalls in the chancel, designed by Zygmunt Hendel of Kraków, and a 17th-century wooden font shaped like a chalice.
• The building itself, mixing late Renaissance and early Baroque, with a bell tower.

Did you know?

In his 1629 deed the founder described the building as a "cruciform church" with "domed chapels", which suggests it originally had cupola vaults. Ligęza bought out and resettled the village of Wola Stara, where the church now stands, in 1621–1627, then flooded the land to create a lake protecting the town from the west. In 1863 the centenary of the coronation reportedly drew 100,000 pilgrims from Galicia and the Kingdom of Poland.

Tripto tip

The monastery is at ul. Sokoła 8, a few minutes' walk from the Market Square and the Lubomirski Castle. It is an active basilica – visit outside Mass times, which are listed on the Bernardines' website. Allow 30–45 minutes for the church, the mausoleum and the chapel. The alabaster figures are set into the north and south walls of the chancel – get as close as you can, because from the back of the church the details are easy to miss.