Monastery Yasnaya Gora. Pilgrimage trips to Yasna Gora Monastery

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.

Jasna Gora, Jasna Góra (Polish Jasna Góra) is a Catholic monastery in the Polish city of Czestochowa. The full name is the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Yasnogorsk (Polish Sanktuarium Najświętszej Maryi Panny Jasnogórskiej). Belongs to the monastic order of the Paulines. The Yasnogorsk Monastery is famous for the Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God kept here, revered as the greatest shrine by Catholics and Orthodox. Jasna Gora is a historical monument, the main object of pilgrimage in the country, as well as a symbol of the national unity of the Polish nation. It is a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

HistoryEdit

In 1382, the Polish prince Władysław of Opolski invited the monks of the Pauline order from Hungary to Poland, 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 ...

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 image. 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 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 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.

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.

Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Nativity of the Virgin

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

Library

Knight's Hall

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

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.

So, I continue the story of my trip to Poland.
Then we moved to the city of Czestochowa.

One of the oldest Polish cities, Czestochowa, is located in the south of the country, on the banks of the Warta River.
The foundation time of Chekhonstova is the 11th century, two centuries later it was granted the status of a city.
Czestochowa is the religious capital of Poland, a place of pilgrimage.

The main attraction of the city, because of which tourists come here not only from all over Poland, but also from all over the world, is the miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Czestochowa, also called the Black Madonna, kept in the monastery in Jasna Góra (Clear Mountain).

Entrance to the monastery. The bell tower is visible in the distance.

Statues on the wall of the monastery.

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.
To climb to its top, you will need to overcome 519 steps, but we did not climb because of the tight time frame.

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. Jadwiga. 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.

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.
Our guide. He spoke in Russian.

Meetings, meetings of the episcopate, theological and philosophical conferences are held in the Knights' Hall.

Crucifixion in the Knight's Hall.

Due to the dark shade of the face, the icon is also known as the Black Madonna. The Czestochowa icon is made on a wooden panel measuring 122.2x82.2x3.5 cm and belongs to the Hodegetria type. The Child-Christ sits on the hands of the Virgin, He blesses with his right hand, and holds a book with his left. Several cuts remained on the icon, probably received from a blow with a saber.

Behind our guide is the 18th century altar of St. John the Evangelist.

On the walls of the hall there are paintings depicting the most significant events in the history of the monastery.
The Polish prince Vladislav of Opolsky hands over the icon to the monks Paulin (1382)

Votive objects on the walls of the Chapel of the Virgin Mary.
(various things brought as a gift to the deity by vow, for the sake of healing or fulfilling any desire. The custom of offering votive objects is a softened form of sacrifice)

At that moment, when we arrived at the chapel, there were already a lot of people there, a service was going on.

Organ in the chapel.

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.

Several settings for the icon were made, all very beautiful and majestic, decorated with precious metals and stones.
Unfortunately, all of them, except for one, which is placed on the icon, are in the Treasury of the monastery, along with various gifts from pilgrims, donors, believers, where photography, even without a flash, is strictly prohibited.

Altar with an icon.

Chapel service.
For tourists and believers, a special circular corridor has been made around the altar, passing through which you can pray, see the icon, turn to it and not interfere with the ongoing service.
Someone just walks along this corridor in prayer, and someone is on their knees.

A huge field with chairs is for pilgrims. On holidays there is nowhere for an apple to fall.
The service is conducted from the balcony.

These are the taps with drinking water on the territory of the monastery.

Such an ensemble performed not far from the monastery against the backdrop of the pilgrims' house - a place to sleep for pilgrims who come for a long time.

As always, there was free time to buy souvenirs and take a walk. In this case, we acquired religious attributes, icons, books about the monastery.
To be continued...

Czestochowa(Polish Częstochowa) is a city in southern Poland in Upper Silesia, in the Silesian Voivodeship, on the Warta River. Founded in the XI century, received the status of a city in 1370-1377. Population 248,032 (2004). The city is famous for the miraculous Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God, kept in the Yasnogorsk Monastery.

Icon of the Mother of God of Czestochowa- the miraculous icon of the Virgin, one of the most famous and revered shrines in Poland and Central Europe. Also known as the "Black Madonna" because of her dark complexion. The Czestochowa icon is made on a wooden panel measuring 122.2x82.2x3.5 cm and belongs to the Hodegetria type. The Child-Christ sits on the hands of the Virgin, He blesses with his right hand, and holds a book with his left. Several cuts remained on the icon, probably received from a blow with a saber.

According to legend, the Częstochowa icon refers to the icons of the Most Holy Theotokos, which were painted by the Apostle Luke. In 326, when Saint Helen visited Jerusalem, she, according to legend, received this icon as a gift and brought it to Constantinople. According to art historians, the icon was created in Byzantium in the 9th-11th centuries. The history of the icon can be reliably traced back to the end of the 13th century, when the Galician-Volyn prince Lev Danilovich moved the icon to the city of Belz, where it became famous for numerous miracles. After the conquest of the Western Russian lands by Poland, the Polish prince Vladislav of Opolsky in 1382 transferred the icon to Jasna Gora, near Częstochowa, to the newly built Pauline Monastery. Since that time, the icon has received its current name. At the beginning of the 15th century, the Hussites attacked the monastery and plundered it, but the miraculous icon was miraculously saved. According to one version, two scars on the icon were left from the blows of the Hussite sabers. In 1655, Yasnaya Gora was unsuccessfully besieged by the Swedes. The heroic defense of the monastery and the salvation of the shrine caused a great patriotic upsurge in the country, which led to the expulsion of the Swedes from Poland. These events are vividly described on the pages of Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel The Flood.

On April 1, 1656, King Jan Casimir proclaimed the Mother of God of Czestochowa as the patroness of Poland in Lvov. 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. In 1813, the monastery was taken by Russian troops, 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 1917. The icon is revered by both Catholics and Orthodox. In Poland, the icon is considered the main shrine of the country. The feast of the icon is celebrated by Catholics on August 26, by the Orthodox on March 6 according to the Julian calendar (Gregorian 19th). Large-scale pilgrimages to the icon are traditionally held in Poland, especially timed to coincide with the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin (August 15), in which Catholics from many countries take part. Believing Polish peasants, according to an old tradition, give pilgrims to the Czestochowa Icon free shelter.

The Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God is located in Yasnogorsk monastery. Its full name is the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Jasnogorsk (Polish Sanktuarium Najświętszej Maryi Panny Jasnogorskie). The monastery belongs to the Pauline monastic order, invited in 1382 by the Polish prince Vladislav of Opolsky to Poland from Hungary. The monks 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. Information about the transfer of the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary to the monastery is contained in the old manuscript "Translatio Tabulae", a copy of which dates back to 1474 is kept in the monastery archive. 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, and a new cathedral was built at the same time. 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. 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, then the fortress walls of Yasnaya Gora were destroyed, however, in 1843 Nicholas I ordered to restore them. The walls were built, however, in a slightly different configuration than before.

Entrance to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross

and Nativity of the Virgin

The Yasnogorsk Monastery is located on a hill 293 m high. 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 Morshtynov bastion; bastion of st. Barbara (or Lubomirski's bastion); royal bastion (or Potocki bastion); bastion of the Holy Trinity (bastion of the Shanyavskys).

106 meters Bell tower, dominating the city of Czestochowa and visible from a distance of 10 kilometers, 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. Every 15 minutes, 36 bells play the melody of a hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The interior of the third level is decorated with 4 statues of saints. 516 steps lead to the upper, fifth level. There are four statues of the Doctors of the Church. 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.

Interior of the Cathedral

The heart of the Yasnogorsk Monastery is Chapel, which houses the Częstochowa Icon of the Mother of God. The original chapel was built before the beginning of the 17th century, in 1644 it was rebuilt into a three-nave 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. The chapel has 5 altars, 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, 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 m long, 21 m wide and 29 m 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, Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Anthony of Padua.

Sacristy(sacristia), built in 1651, is located between the cathedral and the chapel of the Virgin Mary and makes up one complex with them. The vault of the sacristy, like the cathedral, was painted by Karl Dankwart, the wall paintings also date back to the 17th century.

The monastery has an extensive library. Among the unique library copies are 8000 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 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.

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.

On one side of the handle of a metal bell bought in Czestochowa, the silhouette of the monastery is depicted, on the other - the Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God. The bell can be seen in the "Temples, Cathedrals" subsection.

According to Wikipedia

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Monastery Yasnaya Gora. Pilgrimage trips to Yasna Gora Monastery

Territory and buildings

Bell tower

Chapel of the Virgin Mary

Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Nativity of the Virgin

Sacristy

Library

Knight's Hall

Other

Pilgrimages

Monastery in literature