Basilica of the Visitation in Bardo

On the high altar of the Baroque basilica in Bardo stands a figure that is easy to miss: it is just 43 cm tall. This is the Romanesque Enthroned Madonna from the 12th century, regarded as the oldest wooden sculpture in Lower Silesia and a pilgrimage destination since the Middle Ages. The former Cistercian Basilica of the Visitation, built in 1686–1704 above the Nysa Kłodzka river, is now the archdiocesan shrine of Our Lady, Guardian of the Holy Faith.

History: Cistercians, Redemptorists and a coronation

From 1230 the church in Bardo belonged to the Augustinians of Kamieniec Ząbkowicki, and in 1251 they were replaced by Cistercians from Lubiąż. Marian devotion grew here from the 13th century; in wartime the miraculous figure was taken to safety in Kłodzko and Kamieniec. The present church was built under Abbot Augustin Nedeck to designs by Michael Klein, on the site of two earlier churches, and the monastery buildings went up beside it in 1712–1716. The Cistercians stayed until 1810.

In 1900 German Redemptorists took charge of the shrine, handing it over to their Polish confrères in 1945. On 3 July 1966 Archbishop Bolesław Kominek crowned the figure as part of the celebrations of Poland's millennium of Christianity. In 2004 the church became the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady, Guardian of the Holy Faith, and in 2008 it was given the title of minor basilica.

What to see

• The Enthroned Madonna (also called the Knights' Madonna) on the high altar, a painted 12th-century figure that came to Bardo in the 14th century.
• The high altar of 1715 with a 5 × 2.5 m painting of the Visitation from 1704–1705, linked to the workshop of Michael Willmann.
• The pulpit of 1698, with figures of Christ, the Evangelists and the Doctors of the Church.
• The organ by Franz Joseph Eberhard from 1755–1759, restored in 2010–2013 by the Jehmlich firm of Dresden.
• Paintings by Willmann (Adoration of the Magi, St Hedwig) and a votive hall with a 15th-century Gothic triptych.
• A mechanical nativity scene built in the church in the 1970s.

Interesting facts

Besides works by Willmann himself, the church has two canvases attributed in 2009 to Bernhard Krause, known as the "Little Willmann": the Vision of St Lutgardis and the Vision of St Bernard. The Baroque side altars of the Nativity and the Holy Cross, from 1777, are by L. Jaschke, and the vault is painted with the Adoration of the Magi and the Prayer of St Bernard. Since 2009 the basilica has been part of the Michael Willmann Route of Baroque Sacred Art.

Tripto tip

Allow 45–60 minutes for the basilica; it is a working shrine, so visit outside services. The best view of the church and monastery is from the Nysa Kłodzka. If you have more time, follow the path from the basilica to the Mountain Chapel, passing the "Marian spring", whose water is said to have healing properties. Bardo is also a starting point for rafting trips on the Nysa Kłodzka.