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Overview
Divine Mercy Krakow shrine
At the heart of the Divine Mercy shrine in Kraków-Łagiewniki stands the chapel where the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina are to be found.
This small church, consecrated in 1891 and dedicated to St. Joseph, was built within the complex of the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and once served only the Sisters and their wards.
All about the Spreading of Devotion to The Divine Mercy, Miraculous Image, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Hour of Mercy.
This chapel has since witnessed the prayer of the Apostle of The Divine Mercy and the extraordinary graces (including the revelations of Jesus and the Blessed Mother) received by her in this place. With her death, the message of God’s Mercy, which by the will of Christ she gave to the Church and the world, was deposited in this place.
Devotion to The Divine Mercy
Souls who spread the honour of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Saviour (St. Faustina Diary 1075)
Divine Mercy mass schedule – SERVICES IN THE CHAPEL
Weekdays
6:30 | Holy Mass |
7:15 | Matins |
12:00 | 17:00 Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament |
13:15 | Liturgical prayer of the day |
15:00 | Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy |
17:00 | Holy Mass |
18:40 | Vespers |
19:00 | Worship and Compline |
20:30 | The Rosary |
21:00 | Marian Call |
Sundays and Holidays
7:00 | Holy Mass (live broadcast by TVP 1) |
8:30 | Holy Mass |
12:00 | 19:00 Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament |
13:15 | Liturgical prayer of the day |
15:00 | Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy |
18:30 | Service |
19:00 | Holy Mass |
20:30 | Rosary |
21:00 | Marian Call |
Daily Confession: 6:00 – 6:30; 14:30 – 15:30; 17:00 – 17:30
Every Tuesday
16:40 – Novena and Mass in honour of St. Sister Faustina
Every Thursday
17:00 – Holy Mass to The Divine Mercy. Intention: petitions and thanksgivings
The first Friday of the month
19:00 – Holy Mass
The third Friday of the month
17:00 – Holy Mass to The Divine Mercy. Intention: for the homeland, the whole world, and donors
TIMES OF SERVICES IN THE BASILICA
Weekdays
9:00 | Holy Mass |
10:00 | Holy Mass |
15:00 | Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy |
15:20 | Holy Mass |
18:00 | Holy Mass |
Sundays and Holy Days
9:00 | Holy Mass |
10:30 | Holy Mass |
12:00 | Holy Mass |
13:30 | Holy Mass |
15:00 | Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy |
15:20 | Holy Mass |
18:00 | Holy Mass |
First and third Friday of the month
18:30 – Holy Mass (live broadcast by TVP 3)
Lent – Fridays
15:20 – Way of the Cross followed by Holy Mass
Lent – Sundays
15:20 – Lenten Psalms Service with a homily on the Passion, followed by Holy Mass
Second, fourth and fifth Friday of the month
18:30 – Holy Mass (live broadcast by TVP 3)
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For this reason the Łagiewniki Divine Mercy shrine became the centre of devotion to The Divine Mercy, the place from which this message is spread throughout the world and the place to which people from every continent come on pilgrimage. They come asking for many graces, to which the votive offerings in the display cases around the chapel bear witness.
The rapid development of the devotion to The Divine Mercy and the many pilgrimages to the Shrine in Łagiewniki as a consequence of the beatification of Sister Faustina, led to the laying of the Foundation in 1966 by the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski.
The aim was to build a new church (for 5,000 persons) together with facilities for pilgrims.
A year later, on 7 June 1997, during his visit to Łagiewniki Shrine, the Holy Father John Paul II blessed the cornerstone brought from Calvary for the construction of the church.
He also viewed a model showing the planned development of the place and added his signature to it. On 17 August 2002, during his final pilgrimage to Poland, he consecrated the new church and there he entrusted the whole world to God’s Mercy. Since 6 March 2003, the church has held the title of Minor Basilica.
Built according to the design of Witold Cęckiewicz, the basilica, resembles a ship and can be associated with a contemporary “ark of the covenant”, in which everyone who puts their hope in the mercy of God can find salvation.
In the chancel behind the large stone altar, there is a tabernacle in the shape of the globe with continents outlined on it.
The tabernacle is surrounded by a bush tossed by strong winds, symbolizing the modern world or man confused by different currents. The image of Merciful Jesus (by Jan Chrząszcz) stands within the bush above the tabernacle, reminding one that “in the mercy of God the world will find peace and mankind will find happiness” – as the Holy Father John Paul II said.
Some people see in the Shrine interior a symbolic representation of the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses. As God spoke to Moses in the past, so in our times God has spoken through St. Sister Faustina, proclaiming the prophetic message of Mercy for the Church and the world.
To either side of the chancel, on the walls that form part of the nave, you find facing you on the left the image of Our Lady of Mercy of the Gate of Dawn (by Jan Chrząszcz); and on the right, words spoken by the Holy Father John Paul II in this basilica on 17 August 2002 as a part of the act of entrusting the world to The Divine Mercy.
How to get to Divine Mercy shrine
Description
The Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki is situated near the so-called “Zakopianka” road – the road from Krakow to Zakopane, and near the Łagiewniki railway station.
Public Transport (MPK)
Tram Nos. 8, 10 (from the Main Railway Station), 22, 72 – stop:
Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia (The Shrine of The Divine Mercy)
Trains (PKP)
Route: Kraków-Zakopane, Kraków-Oświęcim (Auschwitz), Kraków-Wadowice
Station: Łagiewniki
By car
From the “Zakopianka” road – turn at the Łagiewniki railway station.
From the Katowice and Tarnow motorway – turn by the sign: Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia w Łagiewnikach.
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
Special Offer
At the heart of the Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki stands the chapel where the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina are to be found.
This small church, consecrated in 1891 and dedicated to St. Joseph, was built within the complex of the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and once served only the Sisters and their wards.
This chapel has since witnessed the prayer of the Apostle of The Divine Mercy and the extraordinary graces (including the revelations of Jesus and the Blessed Mother) received by her in this place.
With her death, the message of God’s Mercy, which by the will of Christ she gave to the Church and the world, was deposited in this place. For this reason the Łagiewniki Shrine became the centre of devotion to The Divine Mercy, the place from which this message is spread throughout the world and the place to which people from every continent come on pilgrimage.
They come asking for many graces, to which the votive offerings in the display cases around the chapel bear witness.
The miraculous image of Merciful Jesus painted by Adolf Hyła is placed above the side altar on the left side of the chapel. It was blessed by Father Józef Andrasz SJ (Sister Faustina’s spiritual director) on 16 April 1944, on the first Sunday after Easter.
Copies and reproductions of the image have spread throughout the world, thereby fulfilling the words of Jesus spoken to Sister Faustina at the first of His revelations: I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world (Diary 47).
A white marble coffin with the relics of St. Sister Faustina rests on the altar below this image, and one relic has been placed in a marble prie-dieu before the altar, for the convenience of pilgrims wishing to venerate her and ask for her powerful intercession through prayers to The Divine Mercy.
By the main altar there is a statue of Our Lady of Mercy – the patron of the Congregation, and in recesses to the side of the altar are statues of St. Stanisław Kostka – the patron of youth, and of St. Mary Magdalene – the patroness of women-penitents.
At the side altar on the right there is a picture of St. Joseph with the Child, the image originally chosen as the patron of this chapel and the entire property, which was once named “Józefów” in its honour.
On the side walls there are pictures: St. Sister Faustina (by Helena Tchórzowska), St. Ignatius – the patron of the Congregation, and Bl. Father Michał Sopoćko – spiritual director of St. Sister Faustina.
In 1968, on account of the large number of pilgrims who visited the final resting-place of the Servant of God Sister Faustina, this chapel dedicated to St. Joseph was entered by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła on the list of sanctuaries in the Archdiocese of Kraków; and on 1 November 1992, the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski issued an official decree raising the chapel to the rank of The Shrine of the Divine Mercy.
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
Video
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
Description
The Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki is situated near the so-called “Zakopianka” road – the road from Krakow to Zakopane, and near the Łagiewniki railway station.
Public Transport (MPK)
Tram Nos. 8, 10 (from the Main Railway Station), 22, 72 – stop:
Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia (The Shrine of The Divine Mercy)
Trains (PKP)
Route: Kraków-Zakopane, Kraków-Oświęcim (Auschwitz), Kraków-Wadowice
Station: Łagiewniki
By car
From the “Zakopianka” road – turn at the Łagiewniki railway station.
From the Katowice and Tarnow motorway – turn by the sign: Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia w Łagiewnikach.
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
GENERAL SERVICES IN THE CHAPEL
Weekdays
6:30 | Holy Mass |
7:15 | Matins |
12:00 | 17:00 Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament |
13:15 | Liturgical prayer of the day |
15:00 | Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy |
17:00 | Holy Mass |
18:40 | Vespers |
19:00 | Worship and Compline |
20:30 | The Rosary |
21:00 | Marian Call |
Sundays and Holidays
7:00 | Holy Mass (live broadcast by TVP 1) |
8:30 | Holy Mass |
12:00 | 19:00 Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament |
13:15 | Liturgical prayer of the day |
15:00 | Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy |
18:30 | Service |
19:00 | Holy Mass |
20:30 | Rosary |
21:00 | Marian Call |
Daily Confession: 6:00 – 6:30; 14:30 – 15:30; 17:00 – 17:30
Every Tuesday
16:40 – Novena and Mass in honour of St. Sister Faustina
Every Thursday
17:00 – Holy Mass to The Divine Mercy. Intention: petitions and thanksgivings
The first Friday of the month
19:00 – Holy Mass
The third Friday of the month
17:00 – Holy Mass to The Divine Mercy. Intention: for the homeland, the whole world, and donors
TIMES OF SERVICES IN THE BASILICA
Weekdays
9:00 | Holy Mass |
10:00 | Holy Mass |
15:00 | Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy |
15:20 | Holy Mass |
18:00 | Holy Mass |
Sundays and Holy Days
9:00 | Holy Mass |
10:30 | Holy Mass |
12:00 | Holy Mass |
13:30 | Holy Mass |
15:00 | Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy |
15:20 | Holy Mass |
18:00 | Holy Mass |
First and third Friday of the month
18:30 – Holy Mass (live broadcast by TVP 3)
Lent – Fridays
15:20 – Way of the Cross followed by Holy Mass
Lent – Sundays
15:20 – Lenten Psalms Service with a homily on the Passion, followed by Holy Mass
Second, fourth and fifth Friday of the month
18:30 – Holy Mass (live broadcast by TVP 3)
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
- Daily Confession: 8:30 – 18:00 (confession is also available in different languages) – Basilica
- Daily Confession: 6:00 – 6:30; 14:30 – 15:30; 17:00 – 17:30 – Chapel
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
Every day in the Chapel:
- 15.00 – Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
- 20.30 – Rosary
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel of Perpetual Adoration
The Chapel of Perpetual Adoration is located next to the basilica, built according to the design by Witold Cęckiewicz. The chapel resembles a rotunda with stained-glass windows from top to bottom and is decorated with floral design. The altar is set in the centre in the shape of a blazing fire, inside which stands a monstrance; and a perpetual lamp with the fire of Mercy burns over the monstrance.
On 16 December 2003 the fire was lit by the Holy Father John Paul II as a sign of the message of God’s Mercy spreading from this place to the whole world. The chapel was consecrated by Cardinal Franciszek Macharski on the Feast of The Divine Mercy in 2004 and it was then that the all-day adoration of the Blessed Sacrament began. One year later, on 3 April 2005, the desire of the Holy Father John Paul II was fulfilled – relating to the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in this Shrine. In a letter prepared for the occasion, just before his death, so as if in his last Will, he wrote: “I am glad that the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will begin this Sunday.
Nothing makes the work of mercy, which was accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection, more present than the Eucharistic presence of the Lord. May this presence, therefore, be a source of strength and hope for all pilgrims.” Since then the Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Łagiewniki is open continuously, since day and night pilgrims from Krakow, from all over Poland, and even from other countries pray before the Blessed Sacrament, imploring God’s mercy for themselves, for Holy Church, for Poland and for the whole world.
Sr. M. Elżbieta Siepak OLM
Translated by Orest Pawlak
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
Let us remain close in the same prayer! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
The rapid development of the devotion to The Divine Mercy and the many pilgrimages to the Shrine in Łagiewniki as a consequence of the beatification of Sister Faustina, led to the laying of the Foundation in 1966 by the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski.
The aim was to build a new church (for 5,000 persons) together with facilities for pilgrims. A year later, on 7 June 1997, during his visit to Łagiewniki Shrine, the Holy Father John Paul II blessed the cornerstone brought from Calvary for the construction of the church. He also viewed a model showing the planned development of the place and added his signature to it. On 17 August 2002, during his final pilgrimage to Poland, he consecrated the new church and there he entrusted the whole world to God’s Mercy. Since 6 March 2003 the church has held the title of Minor Basilica.
Built according to the design of Witold Cęckiewicz, the basilica, resembles a ship and can be associated with a contemporary “ark of the covenant”, in which everyone who puts their hope in the mercy of God can find salvation. In the chancel behind the large stone altar there is a tabernacle in the shape of the globe with continents outlined on it. The tabernacle is surrounded by a bush tossed by strong winds, symbolizing the modern world or man confused by different currents. The image of Merciful Jesus (by Jan Chrząszcz) stands within the bush above the tabernacle, reminding one that “in the mercy of God the world will find peace and mankind will find happiness” – as the Holy Father John Paul II said. Some people see in the Shrine interior a symbolic representation of the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses. As God spoke to Moses in the past, so in our times God has spoken through St. Sister Faustina, proclaiming the prophetic message of Mercy for the Church and the world. To either side of the chancel, on the walls that form part of the nave, you find facing you on the left the image of Our Lady of Mercy of the Gate of Dawn (by Jan Chrząszcz); and on the right, words spoken by the Holy Father John Paul II in this basilica on 17 August 2002 as a part of the act of entrusting the world to The Divine Mercy.
At the entrance to the basilica there is the cornerstone from Calvary, consecrated by the Holy Father John Paul II, and a plaque commemorating the second pilgrimage of the Holy Father John Paul II to Łagiewniki and the consecration of the basilica on 17 August 2002.
Stained-glass windows are installed in the vertical window spaces and above the choir. The 148 square metre window above the choir is the largest stained-glass window in Kraków. It shows a huge sun, against which one can see a luminous cross – a symbol of faith and the most meaningful sign of The Divine Mercy. Below the horizon is the sea, the colours of which harmonize with the stained-glass windows at the side of the basilica. These windows are intended to create a feeling of rising from the depths of the sea. The stained glass was designed by the architect of the Łagiewniki basilica, Prof. Witold Cęckiewicz and by the artist Małgorzata Toborowicz.
Five beautiful chapels are located in the lower part of the basilica. They are arranged in a circle, and their decor is a gift from the churches of European countries. In the centre is the chapel dedicated to Saint Sister Faustina, the decor of which is a gift of the Italian Episcopate (hence the name “Italian Chapel”). In the chapel behind the altar there is a tabernacle in the shape of an opening flower, which refers to the words of the Divine Mercy Apostle, saying that “the Love of God is the flower – Mercy the fruit” (Diary 949). Above the tabernacle there is a picture by Jan Chrząszcz of St. Sister Faustina, with her Diary placed in the altar setting in the shape of an open book. Before the altar there is a particle of the relics of St. Sister Faustina placed in a reliquary in the shape of a rose. The altar, pulpit and the base of the reliquary are made of pale travertine, the walls are lined with Polish sandstone slabs, the flooring radiating from the centre echoes the main part of the basilica, and is designed to remind one of the rays in the image of Merciful Jesus, symbolizing all graces. The whole chapel is topped with a dome. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, carried out the ceremonial consecration of this chapel, on the hundredth anniversary of the baptism of St. Sister Faustina and on the day when Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Kraków, made his ceremonial entrance into the Wawel Cathedral, on 27 August 2005.
The Communio Sanctorum cha- pel is located to the right of the entrance, in the bottom part of the basilica. During the national pilgrimage of the Hungarians on 9 October 2004 it was consecrated by the Hungarian primate, Cardinal Péter Erdó, together with the Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, the Archbishop of Kraków. The interior of the chapel is the gift of the Hungarian Church, hence its popular name The Hungarian Chapel. It is decorated with beautiful mosaics on the side walls, showing more than sixty saints and blessed men and women of Hungary, Poland and other European countries, who wrote the most beautiful pages in the history of the Church. Another group of the saints and the blessed is accompanied by the text of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, which reads like a commentary on their lives. Mary, Mother of God, leads the procession of saints. Above the marble altar there is a mosaic of the Merciful Jesus with St. Sister Faustina listening intently to His words, and around its edges the words, Jesus, I trust in You, in many languages. Before the altar, in a reliquary in the shape of a right hand, there is a relic of St. Stephen, King of Hungary. A Hungarian artist, a Greek Catholic (Uniate) priest, László Puskás, and his wife, designed the chapel and its decoration.
On the right, next to the Communio sanctorum chapel, there is the chapel of St. Andrew the Apostle, which is a gift of the Greek Catholic (Uniate) Church from Poland and the Ukraine. The iconostasis with the image of St. Andrew, the patron saint of the Eastern Church, is the work of the Ukrainian artist Lubomir Medwid. The chapel is also adorned with rich polychrome made in the spirit of the Eastern tradition, and containing the message associated with the history of the Church. Painting compositions by Timur Karim and Małgorzata Dawidiuk show: the Cathedral of Our Lady, the Baptism of Rus’ (Ukraine), the Old Testament Holy Trinity (the Hospitality of Abraham), Christ Acheiropoietos (Mandylion, Image of Edessa) and the Feast of the Cross. The Archbishop of Przemyśl-Warsaw Archbishop Jan Martyniak and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Kraków, made the ceremonial dedication of the chapel on 24 June 2007.
The Holy Cross Chapel is on the left side of the entrance to the lower part of the basilica, and the faithful in Germany participated in the design of this chapel, hence the name “German Chapel” is also used. A large cross with a crown of thorns in the chancel of the chapel attracts the attention of the faithful. The walls carry the Stations of the Cross. The Cross and the images of the Passion of Jesus are the fullest expression of the merciful love of God to mankind.
On the left side, next to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, is the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, whose decor is a gift of the Church in Slovakia, and therefore it is also called “The Slovak Chapel”. Its interior, designed by architect Marian Sitarčik, is domina- ted by a beautiful Pieta sculpted by Jan Lesňák. The walls are decorated with frescoes showing the seven sorrows of Our Lady painted by Peter Čambál and the words of the “Magnificat” in the liturgical languages of the Church in the days of the Apostles of the Slavs St. Cyril and Methodius: Old Church Slavonic, Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and in the Slovak language. A glass wall behind the altar is covered with an engraving showing the burial of the Lord Jesus and His Resurrection. The chairman of the Slovak Episcopate Bishop František Tondra, Prince-Bishop (Vladika) Jan Babjak, Greek Catholic Archbishop of Presov, and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Kraków, made the ceremonial dedication of the chapel during the national pilgrimage of Slovaks on 19 April 2008.
A 76 meter high tower, topped with a cross, stands before the basilica. A viewing platform, at a height of over 40 metres, provides a panoramic view of the city and the surrounding area, and, given good visibility, even the Tatra Mountains. One can go up on foot (315 steps), or use the elevators. Above the entrance to the tower there is a monument of the Holy Father John Paul II (designed by Witold Cęckiewicz), showing the Pope as a pilgrim of peace, holding in his hands a dove that will carry the message of Mercy to the world. The monument was unveiled on 27 May 2006 during the pilgrimage of Pope Benedict XVI to Łagiewniki Shrine.
Nine carillon bells have been hung above the walls at the front of the basilica. The tune played by the bells is intended to remind us of the mercy of God. The following names are inscribed on the bells: Jesus, St. Sister Faustina, John Paul II and the saints of Kraków: St. Stanisław, St. Hyacinth, St. Jadwiga, St. John Cantius, St. Rafał Kalinowski and St. Brother Albert. The bells were blessed by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop of Kraków, on the Feast of Mercy in 2009.