Churches & monasteries

Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Snows in Pilica

North of the Pilica market square, in the Biskupice district, stands a monastic complex that has shaped the town's image for over 280 years. The baroque, single-storey, quadrilateral Franciscan monastery with the church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus is today the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Snows, a place where families from all over Poland make pilgrimage.

The Sobieska foundation

The founder of the monastery was Maria Józefa née Wessel Sobieska, owner of the Pilica palace and daughter-in-law of King Jan III Sobieski. She donated the land for the building in 1740, and the monastery officially began operating in 1745. The foundress also gave the order the most precious treasure of the church: a 16th-century copy of the icon of Our Lady of the Snows, venerated to this day.

A painting from Rome

Conservators from Kraków established that the Pilica image was painted in Rome around 1600. The image hangs in one of the side altars, and the church also venerates a copy blessed by the Pope in 2000. In 2003 the church was raised to the rank of a sanctuary of Our Lady of the Snows, Guardian of Families, and the main indulgence feast falls on the Sunday after 14 June, the anniversary of the feast of this invocation.

The interior and the monastic garden

Inside, nine altars stand out, including the main one with an image of Christ Crucified against the backdrop of Calvary. In the crypt, a chapel of Saints Peter and Paul was arranged in 2002, and at the pilgrim house there is a chapel called the Upper Room. Around the complex runs a wall with the Stations of the Cross, and in the monastery rose garden masses are held in summer. Among the natural monuments are lindens, ashes and maples planted in the mid-18th century.

In practice

The complex stands at Klasztorna 47 street, a quarter of an hour on foot from the market square and the Pilica castle, so both points can be combined in one walk. The church is open during services, and the wall with the Way of the Cross is accessible all day. Entry is free.