Marian Sanctuary Swieta Lipka

Sanktuarium Maryjne Święta Lipka, Święta Lipka, Poljska

Website of the Sanctuary

+48 0 89 755 14 81

Our Dear Lady of Swieta Lipka

Lipka (Heiligelinde) is a small village surrounded by forests and lakes in Mazury region, northern Poland. It is known for Poland’s oldest Marian sanctuary which has been attracting pilgrims since the Middle Ages.

The church is also a historic monument of outstanding value listed as one of the most magnificent examples of Baroque architecture in Poland. It enchants with its beautiful interior with rich décor and a unique 18th-century organ with moving figurines and bells. The importance and popularity of Swieta Lipka can be shown by the fact that it is sometimes called “Czestochowa of the North”.See Top 15 Catholic shrines around the world.

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The beginnings of Marian sanctuary in Swieta Lipka date back to the 14th – 15th century. The first chapel was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation around 1525, and the linden tree was cut down.

The chapel was rebuilt in 1619 and handed over to Jesuits who have been looking after the place to this day. Swieta Lipka became a popular pilgrimage site and the need for a bigger church arose.

The present church was built by the Jesuits in the 17th -18th century. The architectural complex consists of a church, cloisters and a monastery. Rich and varied ornamentation consisting of stone and wooden sculptures, paintings, frescos, golden objects, artistic metal craftwork and a valuable polychrome work have been preserved in an almost unchanged state.

Swieta Lipka

The most revered object in the sanctuary is the 17th century painting of Our Lady of Swieta Lipka in the high altar. A linden trunk with a statuette of the Madonna is situated in the place where the holy tree once stood.

A great attraction of the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the extraordinary Baroque organ with moving figurines of angels playing instruments. Organ concerts are a truly unforgettable experience.

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Historical Timeline

  • 1300 – The figurine of Our Lady became famous for miracles
  • 1320 – Construction of the first chapel
  • 1524 – Chapel was demolished
  • 1619 – Stefan Sadorski, secretary of Sigismund III Vasa rebuilds Chapel
  • 1631 – Sadorski gives the Chapel to the order of Jesuits
  • 1640 – Bartholomew Pens paints a picture of Our Lady of Swieta Lipka
  • 1681 – Construction of the current church by George Erlty
  • 1690 – The first service in the Church
  • 1694-1712 – The construction of the cloister
  • 1722-1727 – Maciej Meyer painted the frescoes
  • 1728 – Linden tree erected in front of the pulpit with a statue of the Madonna and Child
  • 1780 – Dissolution of Jesuits and the takeover of the Church by priests of the Diocese
  • 1922 – Restoration of the frescoes by Olbresa of Hanover
  • 1932 – The return of the Jesuits to the Holy Lipka
  • 1945 – Polish Jesuits include the Sanctuary
  • 1968 – The coronation of the miraculous image of Our Lady

Swieta Lipka

Jubilee in the Swieta Lipka

On Sunday 10 August 2008. In the Shrine of Our Lady Swieta Lipka a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the crowning of the image of Our Lady Świętolipskiej was held. Coronation in the 1968 made the cardinals: the then Polish Primate Stefan Wyszynski and the then Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla.

Also the 25th anniversary of the Shrine Swieta Lipkau was celebrated of the title of minor basilica. In 1983, Pope John Paul II elevated the church of Swieta Lipka to the rank of Minor Basilica.

On this day monuments were devoted to the Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski.

The forests and lakes

Swieta Lipka has recently become a holiday resort as well. The forests and lakes attract more and more tourists.

The visitors to the complex have thought why such a magnificent church was not built in a big city in a small village and why it was not built on hill so that it could be noticed from far away but it was erected down in a valley among wooded hills resulting in a fact that one can get the first glance of it from a close distance of less than half a kilometer.

It is even more surprising when people hear that it was built at totally deserted place with its foundations set partly on bogs and that the village developed at it much later. The choice of such an untypical place for a church can be explained only by its unusual history.

Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Celebrations and indulgences

  • the last Sunday in May – the main indulgence of the Visitation of the BVM
  • 11 th August – the anniversary of crowning the image of Our Lady of Swieta Lipka – The Mother of Christian Unity
  • 14th August – The Day of the Sick
  • 15th August – the indulgence of the Assumption of the BVM

The forests and lakes

Swieta Lipka has recently become a holiday resort as well. The forests and lakes attract more and more tourists. The visitors to the complex have thought why such a magnificent church was not built in a big city in a small village and why it was not built on hill so that it could be noticed from far away but it was erected down in a valley among wooded hills resulting in a fact that one can get the first glance of it from a close distance of less than half a kilometer.

It is even more surprising when people hear that it was built at totally deserted place with its foundations set partly on bogs and that the village developed at it much later. The choice of such an untypical place for a church can be explained only by its unusual history.

Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!

  • May – September on weekdays: 7.00 am, 9.50 am, 12.00 am, 6.00 pm
  • on Sundays and holidays 7.00 am, 9.00 am, 11.00 am, 2.00 pm, 5.00 pm
  • October – April on weekdays 7.00 am, 5.00 pm
  • on Sundays 7.00 am, 9.00 am, 11.00 am, 2.00 pm, 5.00 pm

Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Organ presentations

  • May – September on weekdays 9.30 am., 10.30 am,11.30 am, 1.30 pm, 2.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.30 pm, 5.30 pm
  • on Sundays and holidays 10.00 am, 12.30 pm, 1.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.30 pm
  • October on weekdays 10.00 am, 12.00 am, 2.00 pm
  • on Sundays and holidays 10.00 am, 12.30 pm, 1.3 0pm, 3.00 pm,

Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Historical Timeline

  • 1300 – The figurine of Our Lady became famous for miracles
  • 1320 – Construction of the first chapel
  • 1524 – Chapel was demolished
  • 1619 – Stefan Sadorski, secretary of Sigismund III Vasa rebuilds Chapel
  • 1631 – Sadorski gives the Chapel to the order of Jesuits
  • 1640 – Bartholomew Pens paints a picture of Our Lady Świętolipskiej
  • 1681 – Construction of the current church by George Erlty
  • 1690 – The first service in the Church
  • 1694-1712 – The construction of the cloister
  • 1722-1727 – Maciej Meyer painted the frescoes
  • 1728 – Linden tree erected in front of the pulpit with a statue of the Madonna and Child
  • 1780 – Dissolution of Jesuits and the takeover of the Church by priests of the Diocese
  • 1922 – Restoration of the frescoes by Olbresa of Hanover
  • 1932 – The return of the Jesuits to the Holy Lipka
  • 1945 – Polish Jesuits include the Sanctuary
  • 1968 – The coronation of the miraculous image of Our Lady

Jubilee in the Swieta Lipka

On Sunday 10 August 2008. In the Shrine of Our Lady Swieta Lipka a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the crowning of the image of Our Lady Świętolipskiej was held. Coronation in the 1968 made the cardinals: the then Polish Primate Stefan Wyszynski and the then Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla. Also the 25th anniversary of the Shrine Swieta Lipkau was celebrated of the title of minor basilica. In 1983, Pope John Paul II elevated the church of Swieta Lipka to the rank of Minor Basilica.

On this day monuments were devoted to the Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski.

Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!

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