Sanctuary of Our Lady in Studzieniczna

The Sanctuary of Our Lady in Studzieniczna (roughly "stoo-dzhen-EECH-nah") is the most important pilgrimage site of the Augustów area in northeastern Poland: a wooden church and a white chapel on a former island in Lake Studzieniczne, about 10 km from central Augustów. Even if you are not religious, it is a peaceful lakeside place with more than 250 years of history, memories of Pope John Paul II's 1999 visit and some impressive old trees – and the destination of a popular boat trip from Augustów.

History

Marian devotion on the island is documented from around 1728, when a copy of the famous Black Madonna of Częstochowa was venerated here. In 1772 a hermit and former officer, Wincenty Morawski, settled on the island, built a wooden chapel and obtained papal indulgences for pilgrims. The village name comes from a well (studnia) by the chapel, whose water was believed to heal.

The first wooden church was built in 1786; today's wooden Church of Our Lady of the Scapular dates from 1847, and the brick chapel on the island replaced the wooden one in 1872. A causeway linked the island to the shore in the late 19th century. Big church festivals here drew tens of thousands of people and had a patriotic dimension under Russian rule. The image was crowned on September 17, 1995, and John Paul II visited in June 1999; a monument from 2000 next to the chapel recalls the visit.

What to see

• The chapel of Our Lady on the former island, reached by a tree-lined causeway,
• the wooden church (1847) and a bell tower from about 1820,
• the John Paul II monument beside the chapel,
• two protected trees – an ash and a massive oak more than 5 m around,
• a 19th-century parish cemetery nearby.

Allow 30–45 minutes, more if you add a lakeside walk.

When to go

The sanctuary is liveliest from May to September, when boats arrive from Augustów and the lakeside resorts are open. Church festivals draw large crowds of pilgrims, so pick an ordinary weekday if you want quiet. In fall and winter the place is peaceful and the causeway walk under old trees is lovely, but there are no boats – come by car or bike.

Getting there by boat

Żegluga Augustowska runs a three-hour "Papal" cruise from Augustów through Przewięź lock to Studzieniczna, with a stop at the sanctuary: 90 PLN, children 7–12 60 PLN (as of October 2026). Only a few sailings remain in October and there are none in winter.

Practical information (as of October 2026)

• Admission: free. Avoid sightseeing inside during services.
• Address: Studzieniczna 10, 16-300 Augustów.
• Mass times: they change between summer and the rest of the year; check with the sanctuary or the Diocese of Ełk before visiting. Information is in Polish.
• By car or bike: from Augustów take the road through Przewięź toward Płaska. Augustów is about 260 km northeast of Warsaw on the S61 expressway and is served by trains from Warsaw and Białystok. There is parking at the sanctuary.

Nearby

• Przewięź lock on the Augustów Canal (about 1 km),
• Lake Białe and the resorts of Przewięź,
• more forest locks on the canal toward Płaska,
• Augustów town center and harbor.