Czestochowa Monastery in Poland. clear mountain
In 1382, the Polish prince Vladislav of Opolsky invited to Poland from the monks of the Pauline Order, who founded a monastery on a hill near the city of Częstochowa. The new monastery was named "Yasnaya Gora" in honor of the main church of the order at that time - the church of St. Lawrence on Yasnaya Gora c. Vladislav Opolsky transferred the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary from the city to Yasnaya Gora (modern). Information about this event is contained in the old manuscript "Translatio Tabulae", a copy of which dates back to 1474 is kept in the monastery archives. From the moment of its foundation, the monastery became known as a place for storing relics; pilgrimages to the icon began already in the 15th century.
On Easter, April 14, 1430, the monastery was attacked by a gang of Hussite robbers from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. They plundered the monastery, broke the icon into three parts and inflicted several saber blows on the face. The restoration of the image took place in e at the court of King Vladislav Jagiello. Imperfect restoration techniques led to the fact that, although the icon was put together, the scars from saber blows on the face of the Virgin still showed through the fresh paint. In 1466 the monastery survived another siege by the Czech army.
In the 15th century, a new cathedral was built in the monastery. At the beginning of the 17th century, to protect against attacks, the monastery was surrounded by powerful walls that turned Yasnaya Gora into a fortress. Very soon, the fortifications of the monastery were subjected to a severe test of strength during the so-called "flood", the invasion of the Commonwealth in 1655. The Swedish offensive developed rapidly, within a few months were taken, and; the Polish gentry went over to the side of the enemy en masse; King Jan Casimir fled the country. On November 18 of the same year, the Swedish army under the command of General Miller approached the walls of Yasnaya Gora. Despite the multiple superiority of the Swedes in manpower (there were about 3 thousand Swedes against 170 soldiers, 20 nobles and 70 monks in the monastery), the abbot Augustin Kordetsky decided to fight. The heroic defense of the monastery forced the invaders to retreat and served as an example for the whole country, which led to the expulsion of the Swedes, which was regarded by many in Poland as a miracle of the Virgin. Returning from exile, King Jan Casimir during the "Lviv vows" solemnly chose the Virgin Mary as the patroness of the kingdom.
The monastery had to endure several more attacks during the Northern War, in 1702, 1704 and 1705, but they were also repelled. In 1716, the monks of the monastery filed a petition for the coronation of the icon. In 1717, after receiving approval from Pope Clement XI, the icon was crowned in the presence of 200,000 pilgrims. The laying on the heads of the Infant and the Mother of God of crowns symbolized the special importance of the icon and its miraculous power. during a visit to Yasnaya Gora in 2006]]
After the defeat of the Bar Confederation in 1772, the last Polish king, Stanisław Poniatowski, ordered the monastery to be handed over to the troops. The second time the monastery was occupied by the Russian army in 1813 during the Napoleonic wars, the rector of Yasnaya Gora presented the Russian military leaders with a list of the icon, which was then kept in and was lost after the 1917 revolution. The Russian army destroyed the fortress walls of Yasnaya Gora, however, in 1843, Nicholas I ordered to restore them. The walls were built, however, in a slightly different configuration than before.
In conditions when Poland was divided between other states, the Yasnogorsk Monastery and the icon stored in it were important symbols of the unity of the nation, so the Częstochowa image was depicted on the banners of the participants in the Polish uprising of 1863. After the suppression of the uprising, some of the Pauline monks were accused of supporting the rebels and exiled to.
During the Second World War, the monastery was occupied by the Nazis, pilgrimages are prohibited. On January 16, 1945, a surprise attack by Soviet tanks on Częstochowa led the Nazis to leave the monastery without harming it.
After the war, Yasnaya Gora continued to be the spiritual center of the country. In September 1956, on the day of the 300th anniversary of Jan Casimir's "Lviv vows", about a million believers prayed here for the release of Cardinal Stefan Wyshinsky, Primate of Poland, imprisoned by the communist authorities. The release of the cardinal took place a month after that.
In August 1991, the Catholic World Youth Day was held in Czestochowa, in which Pope John Paul II took part, and during which more than a million people made a pilgrimage to the icon, including a significant number of young people from the USSR, which became one of the brightest evidence of the fall of the iron curtain.
Territory and buildings
The Yasnogorsk Monastery is located on a hill 293 meters high. The 106-meter bell tower of the monastery dominates the city of Częstochowa and is visible from about 10 kilometers away from the monastery. The territory of the monastery covers an area of 5 hectares. The monastery buildings are surrounded on three sides by a park, while on the fourth side a large square leads to them, which is completely filled with pilgrims on major holidays.
The monastery has a quadrangular shape, powerful arrow-shaped bastions are located in the corners. The bastions are named:
- bastion Morshtynov
- bastion of st. Barbara (or Lubomirski bastion)
- royal bastion (or Potocki bastion)
- bastion of the Holy Trinity (bastion Shanyavsky)
Bell tower
on the walls of the Chapel of the Virgin Mary]]
The high 106-meter bell tower was built in 1714 in the Baroque style. Several times it suffered from fires, in 1906 it was reconstructed and built on.
The bell tower consists of 5 levels. At the height of the second level from the outside there are four hour dials, on each side of the tower. Every 15 minutes, 36 bells sing the melody of a hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The interior of the third level is decorated with 4 statues - St. Paul of Thebes, St. Florian, St. Casimir and St. Hedwig. 516 steps lead to the upper, fifth level. There are four statues of the Doctors of the Church - St. Albert the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Augustine and St. Ambrose of Milan. On the spire of the tower there is a statue of a raven with a piece of bread in its mouth (the symbol of the Pauline order) and the monogram of the Blessed Virgin. The spire is crowned with a cross.
Chapel of the Virgin Mary
The chapel, which houses the Częstochowa Icon of the Mother of God, is the heart of the monastery. The original chapel was built before the beginning of the 17th century, in 1644 it was rebuilt into a three-aisled chapel (now it is a presbytery). The icon was placed on an ebony and silver altar donated to the monastery by the great chancellor Ossolinsky in 1650 and still remains in the same place. The silver panel protecting the icon dates from 1673.
In 1929, another part was added to the chapel. There are 5 altars in the chapel, its walls are covered with votive gifts. The ashes of Augustine Kordetsky, the abbot who led the defense of the monastery from the Swedes, are buried in the left wall.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Nativity of the Virgin
The cathedral adjoining the chapel of the miraculous icon is the oldest building of the monastery, its construction began at the beginning of the 15th century. Currently, the cathedral is 46 meters long, 21 meters wide and 29 meters high.
In 1690, a great fire almost destroyed the interior of the temple. Restoration work was carried out in 1692-1695. Several more restorations were carried out in 1706 and 1728.
The three-aisled cathedral is one of the finest baroque examples in Poland. The vaults of the presbytery and the main nave were decorated by Karl Dankwart in 1695. The main altar by Giacomo Buzzini was completed in 1728. Among the numerous side chapels, the chapel of St. Paul of Thebes, St. Heart of Jesus, St. Anthony of Padua.
Sacristy
The sacristy (sacristia) is located between the cathedral and the chapel of the Virgin Mary and makes up one complex with them. It was built in 1651, its length is 19 meters, width is 10 meters. The vault of the sacristy, like the cathedral, was painted by Karl Danquart, the wall paintings also date back to the 17th century.
Library
The monastery has an extensive library. Among the unique library copies are 8,000 old printed books, as well as a large number of manuscripts. Many of them formed the core of the so-called Jagiellonian collection, which at one time was bequeathed to the monastery.
The new library building was built in 1739. The ceiling of the library is richly decorated with frescoes by an unknown Italian master. Since 1920, the Jasna Gora Library has been used for conferences of the Polish Catholic episcopate.
Knight's Hall
The Knight's Hall is located along the southern facade of the monastery behind the Chapel of the Virgin Mary. It was built in 1647 in the Renaissance style. The walls of the hall were painted in the 17th century by Polish masters and represent the most significant events in the history of the monastery. At the far end of the hall is the altar of St. John the Theologian, work of the 18th century.
Meetings, meetings of the episcopate, theological and philosophical conferences are held in the Knights' Hall.
Other
The complex of monastic buildings also includes the living quarters of the monks, the Arsenal, the Museum of the 600th Anniversary of the Monastery, the Royal Chambers, the Meeting Room, etc.
Pilgrimages
Pilgrimages to the Yasnogorsk Monastery have been held since the 15th century. As a rule, organized groups of pilgrims gather in the neighboring towns of Czestochowa and then go to Jasna Gora on foot. According to a long-standing pious tradition, the inhabitants of those settlements through which pilgrims pass provide shelter and food to those in need.
A particularly large number of pilgrims happens on holidays dedicated to the Mother of God, especially on the day of the Assumption (August 15). In recent years, the number of pilgrims flocking to Częstochowa on this day has exceeded 200 thousand people.
Monastery in literature
The defense of the Yasnogorsk monastery from the Swedes in 1655 is described on the pages of G. Senkevich's historical novel The Flood.
It starts in Krakow and ends in Czestochowa. This is a large industrial city with a population of 250,000 and a metallurgical plant, purposely built here during the time of Bierut. The first mention of a settlement in these parts dates back to 1220, but the status of the city of Czestochowa was received only in the 70s of the XIV century during the reign of Casimir the Great. After the divisions of Poland, the city ended up within the boundaries of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, and from 1815 to 1915 it was included in the Kingdom of Poland. Perhaps that is why Częstochowa somehow subtly resembles our regional cities.
In the center of the city on a high hill stands the main Polish shrine. For the sake of it, hundreds of thousands of people from all over Poland come here (just come!) During the traditional August pilgrimage on the day of the Assumption of the Virgin, about 200 thousand people gather here. In 1991, when Pope John Paul II visited here, more than a million pilgrims came to Częstochowa.
This shrine is the Monastery of the Pauline Order of Jasna Góra.
We ended up in Yasnaya Gura in the evening. Behind was with her. We parked the car in a paid parking lot near the monastery and headed inside, passing through a series of gates standing one behind the other. The first of them are named after the noble family of the magnates Lubomirsky.
The next gate is named after the Mother of God Queen of Poland. They are crowned with a sculptural image of the Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God.
The third is the gate of the Virgin Mary of Sorrows, and the fourth is called the Jagiellonian - in honor of the famous Polish royal dynasty.
After passing the gate, you find yourself on the main child (courtyard) of the monastery. It is small in size. Numerous chapels of the church overlook it. To make it easier to navigate in a rather confusing monastery ensemble, I will give a diagram from Wiki.
| A | Brama Lubomirskikh | |
| B | Brama of Our Lady of the Queen of Poland | |
| C | Brama of the Mother of God of Sorrows | |
| D | Brama Jagiellońska | |
| E | Hall of the Virgin Mary | |
| F | Royal bastion (Pototsky bastion) | |
| G | monument to Augustin Kordetsky | |
| H | Treasury | |
| I | Altar in front of the Shield | |
| J | Bastion of the Holy Trinity (Shanyavsky Bastion) | |
| K | Monument to John Paul II | |
| L | Bastion Morshtynow | |
| M | Gate of John Paul II (entrance gate) | |
| N | Bastion of St. Barbara (Bastion of Lubomirski) | |
| O | Houses of musicians | |
| P | Senacle (Feast Hall) | |
| R | garden of relaxation | |
| S | Jablonowski Chapel (chapel of the Heart of Jesus) | |
| T | Dennhof Chapel (chapel of Paul I the Hermit) | |
| U | Tower entrance | |
| V | Chapel of St. Anthony | |
| W | Royal chambers | |
| X | basilica | |
| Y | Sacristy | |
| Z | Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa | |
| a | Knight's Hall | |
| b | monastery garden | |
| c | Refectory and library | |
| d, e | Monastery | |
| f | Well | |
| g | Museum of the 600th Anniversary | |
| h | Arsenal | |
| i | Economic yard | |
| j | main courtyard | |
| k | Monument to Cardinal Stefan Wyshinsky |
So, in order from left to right are: the entrance to the tower, designed in the form of a chapel and decorated with a sundial; in the middle stands the Dennhof chapel, consecrated in the name of St. Paul the Hermit, and on the far right is the Yablonovsky chapel in the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Through the arch you can go to the entrance to the bell tower. The 106-meter tower literally takes off into the sky. 519 steps lead to it. The bell tower was built in 1714 in the Baroque style. In 1906, after reconstruction, the graceful slender tower reached its current height. There is also a clock with a carillon of 36 bells, every quarter of an hour singing a hymn to the Virgin Mary. On the spire of the tower there is a statue of a raven with a piece of bread in its beak, a symbol of the Pauline order. I couldn't see it 🙂
In Jasna Góra there is the most important shrine of Poland - the Czestochowa icon of the Mother of God. By the color of her face, she is often called the “Black Madonna”. According to legend, the image was painted by the Evangelist Luke himself. About 70 icons of the Theotokos belong to his brush. Particularly famous and revered are those that were written by Luke on the tabletop, at which the Holy Family took the meal. One of these icons is located in Moscow - it is miraculous.
The Evangelist Luke painted the Czestochowa Icon of the Virgin Mary in the Zion Room. In 66-67, during the invasion of the Romans led by Vespasian and Titus, Christians hid the icon along with other shrines in caves near Pella. Almost 300 years later, in 326, Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, received the icon as a gift from Jerusalem Christians when she went to worship holy places and found the Cross of the Lord. Since then, for 500 years, the icon has been in Constantinople.
The Prince of Galicia-Volynsky Lion, the son of Daniil of Galicia, with the greatest reverence transferred the icon to Chervonaya Rus (Western Ukraine) to the castle of Belz. But this is far from the only explanation for the appearance of the icon in the Slavic lands. One of the ancient legends says that the educators of the Slavs Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius brought the icon with them. There is also a mention that the Greek princess Anna was blessed to marry Prince Vladimir in the image of the Virgin Mary.
The icon was famous for many miracles. One of them happened during the Tatar-Mongol invasion. The inhabitants of Belz, relying on heavenly intercession, transferred the icon to the fortress wall. One of the Tatar arrows pierced the face of the Queen of Heaven and blood flowed from the wound. Darkness came over the Tatars, they began to kill each other, the rest fled in horror from under the city walls.
When the family of the princes of Galicia was interrupted and Chervonaya Rus was under the rule of Poland, the Belz castle went to Prince Vladislav of Opolsky. In 1382, Prince Vladislav took the icon to the west and stopped on the way in the village of Czestochowa, placing the icon for the night in the village church. However, in the morning, when the prince wanted to set off, the icon turned out to be impossible to budge. People believed that the Virgin Mary indicates the place where the image should be left. Władysław donated the icon, church and land to the Pauline monks who settled in Częstochowa. The prince himself settled nearby in. 
In 1430, a detachment of Czech, Moravian and Silesian Protestants captured and plundered the monastery. According to one version, they tried to cut the image with sabers, but the blasphemer, who hit the icon twice, swung for the third time, fell dead. According to another version, the Hussites managed to plunder the monastery treasures. One of them decided to capture the icon as well. However, the horses were unable to move the wagon with prey. In anger, one of the robbers threw the icon from the wagon, and the other hit it with a sword. At the same moment, a heavenly punishment overtook them: the first was torn to pieces, the second's hand withered, the rest were stricken with blindness. Since then, scars have been preserved on the cheek of the Virgin. They are also visible on the later list of the icon.
The shrine is located in the chapel of the Miraculous Image of the Virgin Mary, which stands to the north of the cathedral. The modest chapel from the time of Vladislav Opolsky was rebuilt several times until it was turned into a majestic temple. The Częstochowa icon itself is placed on an altar made of silver and ebony, presented as a gift by the Grand Chancellor Ossoliński in 1650. A special silver veil, which covers the icon at night, was created in 1673.
The icon had a lot of people. And this is the evening of a typical weekday! I filmed the icon from afar - I did not want to disturb the worshipers who came to touch the shrine. However, photography is allowed inside the chapel itself. In the photo, the icon is visible in the form of a shining spot, at the entrance you can see electric signs with a ban on the use of flash. If in Orthodox churches it is customary to venerate icons and relics, here the veneration of the shrine is expressed differently. The icon is placed at a height of 3 meters. A circular passage was made under the altar, along which the faithful walk around the icon on their knees.
In the crypt of the chapel of the Miraculous Image of the Virgin Mary, the prior (rector) of Jasna Góra Augustine Kordetsky is buried.
A few words should be said about this man, who is revered in Poland as a national hero. Clemens - such is his worldly name - was born in 1603 into a family of wealthy and influential citizens. His father was a burgomaster for some time. Clemens studied well from childhood and in 1633 he graduated from the Jesuit Collegium in Poznań. He was tonsured into the Pauline Order and received the monastic name Augustine. For 40 years, until his death, he spent in the bosom of the order. His main merit is the defense of Jasna Góra during the “flood”, as the Swedish invasion of the middle of the 17th century is called with the light hand of Henryk Sienkiewicz. The goal of Augustine Kordetsky was to preserve the shrines of Jasna Góra from plunder and devastation by the Swedish troops. First, he hides the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa and replaces it with a list. Then Kordetsky writes a message to the Swedish king Charles X Gustav stating that he agrees to surrender the Yasnogursky fortress in exchange for guarantees of the integrity of the shrine. Augustine did not receive these guarantees and decided to defend Yasna Guru by force of arms. Augustin Kordetsky commanded the defense throughout the siege, which lasted from November 18 to December 26, 1655. Historians believe that Kordetsky sent a letter to the king in order to gain time and prepare for defense. The Poles managed to defend the Yasnogursky Monastery, despite the more than tenfold superiority of the Swedes. There were 3 thousand soldiers in the army of the Swedish general Miller, and the monastery was defended by 170 soldiers, 20 gentry and 70 monks. The Swedes retreated, after which King Jan Casimir returned to the country. The siege of Jasna Góra changed the course of the war and eventually led to the expulsion of the Swedish conquerors from Poland.
The story of the siege, written by Augustin Kordecki in 1658, was used by Henryk Sienkiewicz in his famous novel The Flood.
January Sukhodolsky. Defense of Jasna Góra in 1655.In 1656, King Jan Casimir issued a manifesto on the occasion of the end of the war with the Swedes, in which he called the Częstochowa icon “Queen of Poland”. And in 1717 the Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God was crowned as the Queen of Poland. Crowns sent by Pope Clement XI were placed on the heads of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus.
After the chapel of the Miraculous Image of the Virgin, the cathedral itself in the name of the Holy Cross and the Nativity of the Virgin no longer makes a special impression. Nevertheless, it is an ancient, built in the XV century, majestic temple. After a fire in 1690, Karl Dankwart decorated the interiors of the cathedral in the Baroque style.
The Italian Giacomo Buccini created the main altar in 1728.
In the monastery you can see not only the chapel and the cathedral, but also much more. For example, the Renaissance Knights' Hall, located behind the chapel of the Miraculous Image of the Virgin Mary. the most important events in the history of the monastery are depicted on its walls.
The monastery has several museum exhibits. The former arsenal exhibits iconography and religious painting from the 14th to the 20th centuries.
A treasury was built next to the cathedral. It contains not only bowls, reliquaries and monsters, but also a lot of secular jewelry donated by pilgrims: watches, rings, necklaces. And the walls of the chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa are hung with votive gifts: silver gilded hearts, handles, legs, etc. They are donated by those who were healed at the icon through the prayers of the Virgin Mary. Entrance to the monastery museums is free, but, unfortunately, photography in the arsenal and treasury is prohibited.
The monastery is surrounded by bastions built at the beginning of the 17th century. They do not look like walls and towers familiar to the Russian look. Nevertheless, these bastions became an insurmountable stronghold on the path of the Swedes during the “flood”. However, more than 100 years later, in 1772, the last Polish king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, ordered Yasna Guru to be handed over to the Russian army. Our troops were in the monastery twice more: in 1813, the Russian army occupied the monastery during a foreign campaign against Napoleon. The rector presented the Russian Field Marshal Fabian Osten-Sacken with a list of the Częstochowa icon, which was then placed in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Later, the list ended up in the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. And in January 1945, the swift attack of the Soviet tankers forced the Nazis to leave Częstochowa, not only without blowing up Jasna Góra, but leaving the stolen valuables behind.
Going around the monastery along the bastions, you pay attention to the sculptural compositions depicting the Passion of the Lord. Some of them we did not see because of the renovation.
"Guilty of death."
Veronica's board.
Jesus fell for the second time under the cross.
Raise of the cross.
Lamentation for Christ.
We left this amazing place at dusk. Evening shadows shrouded the cathedral, and only in the west was there a glimmering streak of dawn.
The parking attendant was no longer there, so parking was free for us. For the whole day we did not bother to eat. The search for something to eat in the city was somehow unsuccessful 🙁 As a result, we stopped at a kind of cafe on A1. Sorry for the quality, I shot with a soap dish from a crooked support without a tripod. Lunch in this plane cost us 80 pln, which is a lot for a Polish roadside eatery. However, it was worth it!
But the overnight stay in Zayazd Goralski near Tomaszow Mazowiecki turned out to be the worst for all the time of our wandering around Poland. Even the cramped and cold room in Sandomierz was better - at least it was quiet there. I do not recommend categorically, despite the pretentious interior.
No fireplace in the restaurant...
no swans (or, perhaps, snakes) from towels ...
do not compensate for the inconvenience: the kitchen child in the room and the complete lack of soundproofing! Especially when at 3 a.m. a drunken company tumbles into the restaurant below.
The next morning we set off for Warsaw, dropping by on the way to Wilanów. On the occasion of the approaching All Saints' Day, the palace was closed. So we just have to enjoy the beauty of the baroque architecture of the times of Jan Sobieski and Stanisław Kostka Potocki.
rustle fallen leaves in the autumn park ...
yes, “hunt” for squirrels ... Oh, and the little animals turned out to be nimble, they didn’t want to pose at all 🙂
Our impressions of Warsaw can be found here. And don't forget to get acquainted with the small city, it is located near Warsaw. In the article about, we talked about how they celebrate in Poland.
We have repeatedly emphasized the fact that the Poles are a very religious people. In principle, this should not be particularly surprising. The land of the Commonwealth is rich not only in historical and natural sights, but also in sacred places, which are visited by millions of pilgrims every year. One of these places is the town of Częstochowa, located in the Śląskie Voivodeship. A small, provincial town has become synonymous with religiosity and true faith, thanks to the unique church and monastery complex called "Jasna Gura". Where did the mysterious icon that works miracles come from in the Polish lands? Why did Jasna Góra become a symbol of the Polish faith? How did it happen that despite the active anti-religious campaign carried out by the authorities of communist Poland, the country still did not lose its faith? The answers are to be found here in Częstochowa.
Amazing slan town.
1220 from the birth of Christ. At the crossroads of the Warta River and the royal highway leading from to, on the very border of Malopolska and Wielkopolski, a small settlement appears, called Częstochowa. The place was not chosen in vain - it was on this site that the river crossing was located, which had to be guarded. The first settlers of Częstochowa were most likely the soldiers guarding that same crossing and their families. The settlement grew quite quickly and soon received city rights. Already in the XIV century, the role of Czestochowa in the geopolitical and economic activities of the Commonwealth became so important that, by the grace of God, the king gives the city Magdeburg rights. It would have been impossible otherwise - not only the royal route passes through Częstochowa, but also one of the most important trade routes of the Middle Ages, the so-called "oxen" route from Moldova to.
In 1377, Częstochowa came under the jurisdiction of Vladislav Opolczyk, a descendant of the glorious Piast dynasty. It just so happened that Prince Vladislav was not only the ruler of the Principality of Opolsko-Raciborg, but also the Palatine (Prime Minister) of the Kingdom of Hungary, and the ruler of the Principality of Galicia (Red Rus'). These moments were captured on the coat of arms of Częstochowa - a golden lion (the symbol of Galicia), standing opposite the eagle (the symbol of Opolsko-Racibórz). A little later, the eagle was changed to a black crow with bread in its beak (the symbol of the Pauline monks).
Golden Galician lion against a black monastic raven.
Although the Prince of Opolsko-Racibórz did not rule in Częstochowa for a long time, nevertheless, in two decades he managed to accomplish a couple of especially important things, with which the further history of the city is connected. The first thing is that Vladislav let the monks of the Pauline order into the city and allowed them to build their temple. The second (especially important) case is that in 1382 Prince Vladislav Opolchik brought a miraculous icon of the Mother of God from Rus' to Częstochowa and ordered it to be placed in a church built by the Paulines.
Legend
When the future evangelist Luke was in Jerusalem, he visited the home of Mary and Joseph. A modest dinner in the house of the holy family impressed Luke so much with its sacredness that he, unable to resist, painted the Mother of God along with the baby Jesus right on the wooden table. Several decades later, the icon was handed over to Emperor Constantine and kept in one of the Christian churches in Constantinople. In the service of the emperor in those years was the Galician prince Lev. It is not known for what particular merits, but the icon was presented to the prince by the emperor himself. Leo brought the shrine to his native Galicia, richly decorated it with gold and precious stones, and donated it to the church in the town of Belz. When Vladislav Opolchik became the ruler of the Principality of Galicia, he was informed about the miraculous icon. The prince decided to personally ascertain her power and went to church. The icon made such a huge impression on him that he decided, by all means, to take it to his homeland.
According to legend, this icon was painted by the Evangelist Luke.
The decisive factor in the desire to get the icon was a miraculous victory over the Lithuanian and Tatar troops that surrounded the city. However, when the icon was removed from the church wall and installed in a special carriage, the horses could not move. Vladislav swore that he would honor the icon until the end of his days and build a majestic temple in the place that she would choose for herself. The icon chose Częstochowa.
The legend is a legend, but the miraculous icon of the Mother of God with Jesus has since “settled” in the Czestochowa church and has become the main religious attribute of Poland.
The same icon, in the Yasna Gura church.
Why is the most famous Polish shrine called Jasna Góra? Yasna, translated from Polish - light. Most likely, this name is explained by white limestone remnants (relief elements) characteristic of the entire Krakow-Czestochowa Jura (upland). Thanks to these light boulders, layers of golden clay and silvery gravel, the mountain got its name, which later passed to the entire monastery complex.
Tourists and pilgrims visiting Jasna Guru easily notice that this is no ordinary monastery. Thick walls, ramparts, cannonballs stuck in the bricks at the main entrance. All this is evidence of the unusual history of Częstochowa. Pauline monks initially built their temple in such a way that it could also perform fortification functions. There was even a permanent armed guard detachment, consisting of "brothers in Christ." Nothing surprising. Remember the vague Middle Ages and the location of Częstochowa at the junction of important trade routes - who would not covet the monastic goods?
Temple or impregnable fortress?
The monastery in Yasna Góra is indeed an impregnable fortress. No matter how its power is explained - by its excellent location, fortified walls or the protection of a miraculous icon, the fact remains. Neither, nor the First Northern War, nor the numerous robber raids could not survive the paulins from their sacred nest.
Years passed. Power has changed. Morals and customs changed. But Częstochowa did not stop talking. Even in the most troubled communist times, there were daredevils who came to Yasna Guru in order to bow to the Virgin and ask her for help. Surprisingly, if we remember what happened on the territory of the former Soviet Union, then the preservation of the monastery, and even more so, the very icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa, can only be explained by the influence of higher forces. It was not stolen, not destroyed, not locked up in museum warehouses... Everyone has long forgotten about the Pauline monks. The name of Vladislav Opolchik was lost in the annals of history. And only the sad Mother of God, with a face as dark as buckwheat honey, looks thoughtfully at the world, holding her only child in her arms.
Yasnaya Gora, Jasna Gora(Polish Jasna Gora listen)) is a Catholic monastery in the Polish city of Czestochowa. Full title - Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Yasnogorsk(Polish Sanktuarium Najświętszej Maryi Panny Jasnogorskie). The monastery belongs to the Pauline monastic order. The Yasnogorsk Monastery is famous for the Czestochowa icon of the Mother of God kept here, which is revered by Catholics as the greatest relic. Jasna Gora is the main object of religious pilgrimage in Poland.
Story
In 1382, the Polish prince Vladislav of Opolsky invited the monks of the Pauline Order to Poland from Hungary, who founded a monastery on a hill near the city of Częstochowa. The new monastery was named "Yasnaya Gora" in honor of the main church of the order at that time - the church of St. Lawrence on Yasnaya Gora in Buda. A miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary from the city of Belz (modern Ukraine) was transferred to Yasnaya Gora by Vladislav Opolsky. Information about this event is contained in the old manuscript "Translatio Tabulae", a copy of which dates back to 1474 is kept in the monastery archives. From the moment of its foundation, the monastery became known as a place for storing relics; pilgrimages to the icon began already in the 15th century.
On Easter, April 14, 1430, the monastery was attacked by a gang of Hussite robbers from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. They plundered the monastery, broke the icon into three parts and inflicted several saber blows on the face. The restoration of the image took place in Krakow at the court of King Vladislav Jagiello. Imperfect restoration techniques led to the fact that, although the icon was put together, the scars from saber blows on the face of the Virgin still showed through the fresh paint. In 1466 the monastery survived another siege by the Czech army.
In the 15th century, a new cathedral was built in the monastery. At the beginning of the 17th century, to protect against attacks, the monastery was surrounded by powerful walls that turned Yasnaya Gora into a fortress. Very soon, the fortifications of the monastery were subjected to a severe test of strength during the so-called "flood", the Swedish invasion of the Commonwealth in 1655. The Swedish offensive developed rapidly, Poznan, Warsaw and Krakow were taken within a few months; the Polish gentry went over to the side of the enemy en masse; King Jan Casimir fled the country. On November 18 of the same year, the Swedish army under the command of General Miller approached the walls of Yasnaya Gora. Despite the multiple superiority of the Swedes in manpower (there were about 3 thousand Swedes against 170 soldiers, 20 nobles and 70 monks in the monastery), the abbot Augustin Kordetsky decided to fight. The heroic defense of the monastery forced the invaders to retreat and served as an example for the whole country, which led to the expulsion of the Swedes, which was regarded by many in Poland as a miracle of the Virgin. Returning from exile, King Jan Casimir during the "Lviv vows" solemnly chose the Virgin Mary as the patroness of the kingdom.
The monastery had to endure several more attacks during the Northern War, in 1702, 1704 and 1705, but they were also repelled. In 1716, the monks of the monastery submitted a petition to Rome for the coronation of the icon. In 1717, after receiving approval from Pope Clement XI, the icon was crowned in the presence of 200,000 pilgrims. The laying on the heads of the Infant and the Mother of God of crowns symbolized the special importance of the icon and its miraculous power.
After the defeat of the Bar Confederation in 1772, the last Polish king, Stanisław Poniatowski, ordered the monastery to be handed over to Russian troops. The second time the monastery was occupied by the Russian army in 1813 during the Napoleonic wars, the rector of Yasnaya Gora presented the Russian military leaders with a list of the icon, which was then kept in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg and was lost after the 1917 revolution. The Russian army destroyed the fortress walls of Yasnaya Gora, however, in 1843, Nicholas I ordered to restore them. The walls were built, however, in a slightly different configuration than before.
In conditions when Poland was divided between other states, the Yasnogorsk Monastery and the icon stored in it were important symbols of the unity of the nation, so the Częstochowa image was depicted on the banners of the participants in the Polish uprising of 1863. After the suppression of the uprising, some of the Pauline monks were accused of supporting the rebels and exiled to Siberia.
During the Second World War, the monastery was occupied by the Nazis, pilgrimages are prohibited. On January 16, 1945, a surprise attack by Soviet tanks on Częstochowa led the Nazis to leave the monastery without harming it.
After the war, Yasnaya Gora continued to be the spiritual center of the country. In September 1956, on the day of the 300th anniversary of Jan Casimir's "Lviv vows", about a million believers prayed here for the release of Cardinal Stefan Wyshinsky, Primate of Poland, imprisoned by the communist authorities. The release of the cardinal took place a month after that.
In August 1991, the Catholic World Youth Day was held in Czestochowa, in which he took part, and during which more than a million people made a pilgrimage to the icon, including a significant number of young people from the USSR, which became one of the clearest evidence of the fall of the Iron Curtain.
The Yasnogorsk Monastery is located on a hill 293 meters high. The 106-meter bell tower of the monastery dominates the city of Częstochowa and is visible from about 10 kilometers away from the monastery. The territory of the monastery covers an area of 5 hectares. The monastery buildings are surrounded on three sides by a park, while on the fourth side a large square leads to them, which is completely filled with pilgrims on major holidays.
The monastery has a quadrangular shape, powerful arrow-shaped bastions are located in the corners. The bastions are named:
- bastion Morshtynov
- bastion of st. Barbara (or Lubomirski bastion)
- royal bastion (or Potocki bastion)
- bastion of the Holy Trinity (bastion Shanyavsky)
Bell tower
The high 106-meter bell tower was built in 1714 in the Baroque style. Several times it suffered from fires, in 1906 it was reconstructed and built on.
The bell tower consists of 5 levels. At the height of the second level from the outside there are four hour dials, on each side of the tower. Every 15 minutes, 36 bells sing the melody of a hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The interior of the third level is decorated with 4 statues - St. Paul of Thebes, St. Florian, St. Casimir and St. Hedwig. 516 steps lead to the upper, fifth level. There are four statues of the Doctors of the Church - St. Albert the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Augustine and St. Ambrose of Milan. On the spire of the tower there is a statue of a raven with a piece of bread in its mouth (the symbol of the Pauline order) and the monogram of the Blessed Virgin. The spire is crowned with a cross.
Chapel of the Virgin Mary
The chapel, which houses the Częstochowa Icon of the Mother of God, is the heart of the monastery. The original chapel was built before the beginning of the 17th century, in 1644 it was rebuilt into a three-aisled chapel (now it is a presbytery). The icon was placed on an ebony and silver plate donated to the monastery by the great chancellor Ossolinsky in 1650 and still remains in the same place. The silver panel protecting the icon dates from 1673.
In 1929, another part was added to the chapel. There are 5 altars in the chapel, its walls are covered with votive gifts. The ashes of Augustine Kordetsky, the abbot who led the defense of the monastery from the Swedes, are buried in the left wall.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Nativity of the Virgin
The cathedral adjoining the chapel of the miraculous icon is the oldest building of the monastery, its construction began at the beginning of the 15th century. Currently, the cathedral is 46 meters long, 21 meters wide and 29 meters high.
In 1690, a great fire almost destroyed the interior of the temple. Restoration work was carried out in 1692-1695. Several more restorations were carried out in 1706 and 1728.
The three-aisled cathedral is one of the finest baroque examples in Poland. The vaults of the presbytery and the main nave were decorated by Karl Dankwart in 1695. The main authorship of Giacomo Buzzini was made in 1728. Among the numerous side chapels, the chapel of St. Paul of Thebes, St. Heart of Jesus, St. Anthony of Padua.
Sacristy
The sacristy (sacristia) is located between the cathedral and the chapel of the Virgin Mary and makes up one complex with them. It was built in 1651, its length is 19 meters, width is 10 meters. The vault of the sacristy, like the cathedral, was painted by Karl Danquart, the wall paintings also date back to the 17th century.
Library
The monastery has an extensive library. Among the unique library copies are 8,000 old printed books, as well as a large number of manuscripts. Many of them formed the core of the so-called Jagiellonian collection, which at one time was bequeathed to the monastery.
The new library building was built in 1739. The ceiling of the library is richly decorated with frescoes by an unknown Italian master. Since 1920, the Jasna Gora Library has been used for conferences of the Polish Catholic episcopate.
Knight's Hall
The Knight's Hall is located along the southern facade of the monastery behind the Chapel of the Virgin Mary. It was built in 1647 in the Renaissance style. The walls of the hall were painted in the 17th century by Polish masters and represent the most significant events in the history of the monastery. At the far end of the hall is St. John the Theologian, work of the 18th century.
Meetings, meetings of the episcopate, theological and philosophical conferences are held in the Knights' Hall.
The complex of monastic buildings also includes the living quarters of the monks, the Arsenal, the Museum of the 600th Anniversary of the Monastery, the Royal Chambers, the Meeting Room, etc.
Pilgrimages
Pilgrimages to the Yasnogorsk Monastery have been held since the 15th century. As a rule, organized groups of pilgrims gather in the neighboring towns of Czestochowa and then go to Jasna Gora on foot. According to a long-standing pious tradition, the inhabitants of those settlements through which pilgrims pass provide shelter and food to those in need.
A particularly large number of pilgrims happens on holidays dedicated to the Mother of God, especially on the day of the Assumption (August 15). In recent years, the number of pilgrims flocking to Częstochowa on this day has exceeded 200 thousand people.
Monastery in literature
The defense of the Yasnogorsk monastery from the Swedes in 1655 is described on the pages of G. Senkevich's historical novel The Flood.
The bell tower of the Yasnogorsk monastery can be seen from afar. Better than any compass, a spire pointing into the sky will lead you to the right place. For a long time, it has been a landmark for millions of people who came here to bow to the Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God - her dark face with a stern look and a cut cheek is still the last hope for many.
// dorogimira.livejournal.com
The monastery was founded in 1382 by monks invited from Hungary by the Polish prince Vladislav of Opolsky. The current territory of the monastery is huge (several hectares) and multi-tiered (it is located on a hill almost 300 meters high). This is probably the most grandiose cult center we have ever been to. On its territory there are several museums, a treasury, a hospice, a medical center, a large information center and even its own radio.
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The main entrance to the territory of the monastery.
// dorogimira.livejournal.com
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But we drove up from the side entrance, which does not look so pompous. It is worth mentioning here that there are huge parking lots near the Yasnogorsk Monastery and there are no problems with where to leave the car. Maybe, of course, during the holidays there will be a different picture. Parking is paid, but without a fixed price: at the exit, the guard will hand you a metal mug, and you will throw in as much as you see fit.
// dorogimira.livejournal.com
Already above the entrance you can see the image of the Czestochowa Icon.
// dorogimira.livejournal.com
The monastery is surrounded by thick walls and has four bastions - a legacy of those times when those who were here were forced to defend themselves. The walls were erected in the 17th century and since then have withstood a powerful siege several times: in 1655 during the Swedish invasion and at the beginning of the 18th century during the Great Northern War. The walls could not contain the Nazis, but, fortunately, the monastery was practically not looted.
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Now along the walls there are sculptures on high stone pedestals, symbolizing the stages of the Way of the Cross.
// dorogimira.livejournal.com
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A lot of pilgrims come to Yasnaya Gora, and on holidays, when the cathedral is not able to accommodate everyone, open-air services are held.
// dorogimira.livejournal.com
The basilica is the oldest building of the monastery; it began to be erected at the beginning of the 15th century. Now the interior is baroque, considered one of the best examples in Poland.
// dorogimira.livejournal.com
// dorogimira.livejournal.com
I must say that I don’t really like baroque, this style is too “abundant” for me, and the all-consuming gilding makes it difficult to see the details. But here an excellent balance was found, which made it possible to preserve and combine texture, detail and essence.