Our Lady of Wambierzyce, Queen of Families

Marian Invocation of Wambierzyce (Lower Silesia)

According to the traditionIn Wambierzyce the Marian devotion dates back to the 13th century, when a blind man regained his sight by praying before a small figure of the Virgin with the Child placed on a large tile on the hill slope. This fact is considered the beginning of the place as the focus of pilgrimages and miraculous fame.

Main data

Origin and history

According to the traditionIn Wambierzyce the Marian devotion dates back to the 13th century, when a blind man regained his sight by praying before a small figure of the Virgin with the Child placed on a large tile on the hill slope. This fact is considered the beginning of the place as the focus of pilgrimages and miraculous fame.

En la documented history, Wambierzyce appears as an important Marian pilgrimage village in the region of Kłodzko (Lower Silesia), known as the "Jerusalem of Silesia" for its calvary complex with numerous chapels that recreate the mysteries of Christ's life. The present Baroque complex developed especially between the 17th and 18th centuries, when the great calvary was configured with about 74 chapels and the monumental church was built on the hill.

Over time, the Marian sanctuary of Wambierzyce was closely linked to the Catholic identity of the region and to the pilgrimages of the Land of Kłodzko. Devotion was consolidated under the advocation of Our Lady of Wambierzyce, Queen of Familiesa reflection of the special confidence of the faithful in the protection of the Virgin over family life.

The image and the sanctuary

The main image is a figure of the Virgin with the Child, of a sculptural character, venerated as miraculous image from at least the 13th century. The sources consulted highlight their antiquity and reputation as miraculous, but do not accurately contain the material or a detailed iconographic description of the size (position of the hands, attributes, etc.); therefore, no consta a complete verifiable iconographic description.

The place of worship is the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sanctuary of the Queen of the Families of Wambierzyce, Patroness of the Land of Kłodzko (en polaco, Basilica of Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Shrine of Our Lady of Wambrzecki Queen of Families, Patroness of the Kłodzka Land). Es una minor basilica and Marian sanctuary, baroque style, located on the slope of the hill, accessible by a wide staircase and preceded by a large three-level façade. The set is part of an extensive calvario with about 74 chapels and stations, recreating scenes of Christ's life and the Way of the Cross, which has given Wambierzyce the appeal of "Jerusalem of Lower Silesia."

The village of Wambierzyce, in the voivodship or department of Low Silesia, near Ranków and Kłodzko, it is organized to a large extent around this sanctuary, constituting a core of pilgrimage of regional relevance.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of Wambierzyce is officially venerated as Queen of Families y Kłodzko Earth Patron. This is therefore a mainly regional (Kłodzko Land) and family patronage.

The image was coronada en 1936. The sources available in Spanish do not specify with certainty the name of the pontiff who authorized the coronation or the pontifical delegate who carried it out, so that, according to the rules indicated, only the year of coronation can be safely affirmed. There is a lack of explicit and verifiable information on the specific act, so that, as far as the formal details of the rite are concerned, it should be said: Canon coronation data (name of delegate and exact formula) are not clearly recorded in the sources consulted.

Party and devotion

The main celebration linked to this advocation takes place the September 8concerning Nativity of the Virgin Mary, a feast that local tradition especially associates Our Lady of Wambierzyce. During the year pilgrims come from various parts of Poland, but the highest concentrations take place around Marian parties, especially in summer and September.

The sanctuary is known for its character as people of pilgrimage and for its intense calendar of liturgical and devotional celebrations. There are organized processions, outdoor celebrations in the surroundings of the calvary and acts of consecration of the families to the Virgin, consistent with the title of Queen of Families. The sources consulted do not provide accurate and recent annual flow figures, so no consta a precise number of pilgrims, although their importance is stressed as one of the most well-known Marian calseveral and shrines in southern Poland.

Link to the Rosary

The sources consulted on Wambierzyce do not explicitly mention a historical relationship or a particular privilege linked to the prayer of the Rosary (for example, rosarian cofradies originating in or Marian apparitions that have expressly requested it), and therefore, in this regard, no consta a specific documented link with the Rosary.

However, as in most of the great Marian shrines of Poland, the Rosary It is a regular part of devotional life: it is prayed in the pilgrimages, in the Marian vigil and in the preparation of the parties, and it accompanies the processions and the acts of consecration of the families. In a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin as Queen of Familiesthe Rosary is presented in a natural way as a prayer of intercession for marriage, children and the specific situations of family life, making it possible to contemplate, together with Mary, the mysteries of Christ's life that illuminate the history of each household.