St Dorothy's Church in Licheń Stary

Long before Licheń built one of the largest churches in Poland, the heart of the sanctuary was this red-brick neo-Gothic church on Klasztorna Street. For almost 150 years (1858–2006) it housed the image of Our Lady of Licheń, and in front of its façade in 1967 Primate Stefan Wyszyński crowned the image – a crown with that date still decorates the tower. Today it is a quieter, historic stop on the way around the vast pilgrimage complex.

History: from Bishop Łaskarz to the Kwilecki family

The parish is far older than the present walls. In 1415 Andrzej Łaskarz, Bishop of Poznań and a native of the area, founded a church in Licheń and chose St Dorothy as its patron – the saint whose name his mother bore. Wars repeatedly destroyed the churches here: in 1655 Swedish troops destroyed the church and killed the villagers, and the church rebuilt in 1728 was pulled down in 1800 because of its poor condition.

The brick church was planned by the Kwilecki family, who owned Licheń from 1819. Countess Izabella Kwilecka laid the foundation stone in 1845, but work moved slowly until events in the nearby Grąblin forest sped it up. Between 1850 and 1852 the shepherd Mikołaj Sikatka reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary beside a small picture hung on a pine tree by Tomasz Kłossowski, a veteran of the Battle of Leipzig. When cholera struck the region, church authorities decided to bring the image into the village.

Home of the Miraculous Image

On 29 September 1852 the picture was carried in procession, with some 80,000 pilgrims, to a temporary church. The new church was ready six years later: on 18 October 1858 Bishop Jan Marszewski of Kalisz consecrated it, and the image was installed the same day. Between 1871 and 1903 a new chancel, a chapel and two sacristies were added.

The Second World War left the church devastated – the Germans removed the bells and used the building as a Hitler Youth centre. Since 1949 the parish has been run by the Marian Fathers, who restored the church and developed the sanctuary. In 1977–1980 the roof, ceiling and furnishings were replaced and the slender tower that you see from afar was built. In 2006 the image was moved to the new basilica.

What to see inside

A renovation that began on 20 October 2007 kept the red-brick neo-Gothic shell but gave the interior a Baroque-inspired look. Look out for:

• the wooden main doors and the porch with statues of the Immaculate Virgin and St Anthony,
• the new stained-glass windows, which tell the story of the Licheń image,
• the Carrara marble altar – its table rests on the wings of two angels, with a pulpit of the same stone beside it,
• the painting of St Dorothy in the high altar, probably painted around 1920,
• the right-hand chapel with relics of St Stanisław Papczyński, founder of the Marian Fathers, and the left-hand chapel with a copy of the Licheń image surrounded by votive offerings.

Next to the church stands a bell tower with the Jerzy bell, cast in 1989 and weighing 5,500 kg.

Tripto tip

The church itself takes 20–30 minutes, but it is usually one stop on a visit of several hours around the sanctuary. Combine it with the basilica, the Golgotha and the Grąblin forest about 2 km away, where the whole story began. This is a working parish church – check Mass times and events on the sanctuary website and avoid sightseeing during services. The interior is best seen on weekdays, when there are fewer pilgrims around.