Kalwaria Zebrzydowska na tle innych ośrodków pielgrzymkowych w Karpatach Polskich

A Comparison Between Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and Other Pilgrimage Centres in the Polish Carpathians

Summary: The Carpathian area is special among the other regions of Poland for its old traditions for pilgrimages (some going back even to the 11th and 12th centuries), and for its particularly dense network of pilgrimage centres. There are now about 130 such places of public worship here, and 80% of them are associated with devotion to Our Lady. But of the 130, only Kalwaria Zebrzydowska may be said to be of national, or even international, significance. Founded by Mikołaj Zebrzydowski in 1602 as Poland's first 'Calvary' reminiscent of the holy places of Jerusalem, from the very outset Kalwaria Zebrzydowska was the destination for streams of pilgrims. The pilgrimages increased after 1641, when the miraculous picture of the Madonna and Child was installed in the Priory Church. In the most recent times the annual figures for pilgrims and tourists visiting Kalwaria Zebrzydowska have been in the 800 thousand - one million range, mainly during Holy Week for the Mysteries and for the festivities connected with the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The religious shrines important locally in the Polish Highland area, alongside Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, include places like Kalwaria Pacławska, Tuchów, Ludźmierz, Wiktorówki, Nowy Sącz, and Rychwałd. This article presents the significance of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska with reference to the other local sanctuaries, both the ones for devotion to Jesus and the Marian ones. There are well over a dozen 'Jesus' sanctuaries in the Polish Carpathians (about 10% of the total), and the noteworthy ones, apart from Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, include Kalwaria Pacławska, the Shrine of the Crucifixion at Kobylanka, and the Shrine of the Transfiguration at Nowy Sącz. The others are merely local in importance. In addition at Dębowiec near Jasło there is a 'La Salette Calvary' associated with the Shrine of the Weeping Virgin Mary. Kalwaria Zebrzydowska also holds a special position among the shrines of Our Lady. The miraculous image, which is a 'weeping' painting, has been the focus of devotion for many centuries now. Over 200 thousand pilgrims attended the Coronation ceremony in 1887. At present over 100 thousand come for the August celebrations marking the Feast of the Assumption. None of the other Carpathian shrines can compete in terms of numbers of pilgrims. In view of its long history and tradition, its geographical position, and its highly idiosyncratic nature, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska exhibits features which are distinctly supradiocesan in character. It is not only the chief sanctuary in the Archdiocese of Cracow, but also the major religious shrine in the Carpathians and second in Poland only to Jasna Góra at Częstochowa.

Peregrinus Cracoviensis, 1995, z.2, s. 77-91.

Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UJ

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