Holy Spirit Church in Nowy Sącz

At the end of the 18th century the Austrian authorities turned this church into a military storehouse, and the altar with its miraculous painting was simply boarded up. Today the Holy Spirit Church on Piotra Skargi Street is one of the most important shrines in the Nowy Sącz region, home to the painting of Our Lady of Consolation from 1569, crowned by Primate Stefan Wyszyński.

History: from the Norbertines to the Jesuits

The Norbertine church and monastery were founded at the beginning of the 15th century; a scan of the church's foundation document dated 1400 survives on Wikimedia Commons. A fire in 1611 destroyed the nave, which was rebuilt in Renaissance style – Gothic survived only in the chancel. After the order was dissolved in 1784, the church served as a military store. Devotion to the painting revived only when the Jesuits took over the monastery (in 1832, according to the VisitMałopolska portal). They restored the church and extended the monastery with a college. The Holy Spirit parish was established in 1950.

What to see

• The Gothic chancel with a polygonal end and a net vault supported by buttresses.
• The 17th-century nave with a barrel vault, plus the tower from 1755 and an 18th-century marble portal.
• The painting of Our Lady of Consolation – tempera on a limewood panel by an unknown 16th-century artist, in a Gothic-Renaissance style. It sits in a Neo-Gothic high altar from 1890.
• An image of St Anne Trinity, showing St Anne with Mary and the Christ Child.
• The monastery courtyard with cloisters from the 1970s, a field altar from 1988 and Baroque wrought-iron gates from the 18th century facing the street.

Interesting facts

The coronation of the painting in 1963 had a remarkable cast: the crowns were placed by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, assisted by the then Archbishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyła – the future Pope John Paul II. People from the region have made pilgrimages here since the 16th century. The main church feasts fall at Pentecost and on the feast of Our Lady of Consolation – the Sunday after St Augustine's day (28 August).

Tripto tip

The church is close to the market square, so it fits easily into a stroll around the Old Town. Allow 30–45 minutes for the interior and the courtyard. This is an active shrine – during Mass keep to the back of the church, and check the current schedule on site.