Churches & monasteries

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Licheń in Licheń Stary

Licheń Stary, a village in eastern Greater Poland in the Ślesin municipality, is the address of the largest church in Poland and one of the largest in the world. The Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń, built as a votive offering of the Catholic Church for the Great Jubilee of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity, is the heart of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Licheń, a Marian shrine of national and international significance.

From apparitions to basilica

The cult began with Marian apparitions in the first half of the 19th century, witnessed by Tomasz Kłossowski and Mikołaj Sikatka. At the centre of the devotion is the image of Our Lady of Licheń, revered as miraculous and placed in the main altar of the basilica. The initiator of the present church was Fr Eugeniusz Makulski, and the shrine is cared for by monks of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception.

Architecture and symbolism

The church was built on a cross-shaped plan and consists of the main body, a bell tower, a tower and three porticoes. 33 steps lead up to the church, referring to the years of Jesus's life on earth, while the number of windows and doors corresponds to the numbers of days and weeks in a year. The whole structure is meant to evoke a golden, waving field of grain.

Golgotha and the shrine complex

To the left of the main altar stands the Golgotha Altar with a marble statue of the Crucified Christ and a black oak cross; its name refers to a stone from Golgotha placed in the altar. The complex also includes chapels, a stone Golgotha, museums, a spring and the historic church of St Dorothy, home to the parish of the Włocławek diocese.

Practical information

The site is reached by road from Konin through Ślesin. The sanctuary grounds are extensive, so plan at least two hours for the basilica, the pilgrim plaza and the church of St Dorothy.