Churches & monasteries

Sanktuarium Maryjne w Różanymstoku

The Shrine of Our Lady of Różanystok, Help of Christians, is located in the Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Różanystok, near Dąbrowa Białostocka. It is a pilgrimage destination cared for by the Salesians.

History of the image and basilica

In 1652, the Tyszkiewicz family commissioned a painting of the Virgin Mary with the Child. The events were first recorded in 1658. The painting was later moved to a wooden church, and in 1663 Dominican friars from Sejny took responsibility for its care. Construction of the present masonry church began in 1759; it was consecrated in 1785, and the masonry monastery was completed in 1794.

Devotion and what to see

After the Dominicans were suppressed, the church was converted into an Orthodox church in 1866, and the venerated image was taken away in 1915. Salesians arrived in Różanystok in 1919, after the church returned to Catholic use. The present image, painted in Warsaw by Włodzimierz Tur, was brought into the church in 1929. It was crowned with papal crowns in 1981, and the church received the title of minor basilica in 1987. The former Dominican monastery is also worth seeing.

Practical information

Address: Różanystok 16, 16-200 Dąbrowa Białostocka. This is an active church, so Mass times should not automatically be treated as sightseeing hours. The parish lists Sunday and feast-day Masses at 7:30, 9:00, 10:30, 12:00 and 16:00, and weekday Masses at 6:30 and 18:00. Before travelling, check the current liturgical programme, visiting arrangements for groups and pilgrims on the shrine’s website.