Przeprośna Górka in Mstów

Przeprośna Górka (296 m a.s.l.), also called Gąszczyk, rises in Siedlec near Mstów, right at the border of Częstochowa. On its summit stands the church of the Eight Blessings of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael — the first sanctuary of St. Padre Pio in Poland. The hill has long accompanied pilgrims heading for Jasna Góra: it is the first point on the route from which the Jasna Góra tower comes into view.

A place of reconciliation in the Jura

The name is tied to the tradition of pilgrims resting here, for whom the hill was a place of reconciliation between God and people. Geographically it belongs to the Mirowsko-Olsztyńska Upland within the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland and clearly dominates the surroundings of Mstów. The red trail of the Wieluń Jura crosses the summit.

The Padre Pio sanctuary

The foundation stone of the church was blessed in 1994 — it was brought from the Mount of Beatitudes in the Holy Land, which gives the church its dedication. In the lower chapel, a figure and relics of St. Padre Pio are displayed. Around the church run the Rosary Path and the Stations of the Cross, and a retreat house is being built nearby.

Practical notes

The sanctuary stands at ul. Ośmiu Błogosławieństw in Siedlec, in the commune of Mstów. Within a radius of a dozen kilometres you will find the castle in Olsztyn (8.3 km), the Biakło rock (9.5 km) and Jasna Góra in Częstochowa (9.7 km).