Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

The shrine where John Paul II left his heart

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (Poland) (1600-2002)

In Lesser Poland, near Wadowice and about forty kilometers from Krakow, lies the sanctuary of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, cared for by the Bernardine Franciscans. It is a unique Marian shrine: it combines a monumental Stations of the Cross, with numerous chapels and hermitages scattered across a mountainous landscape in imitation of Jerusalem, and a Marian shrine where the image of the Mother of God of Kalwaria, the Virgin with the Child, is venerated. Its official name is the Sanctuary of the Passion of the Lord and of the Mother of God of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.

The origins of the Calvary can be traced back to Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, Voivode of Kraków, who at the beginning of the 17th century commissioned its construction, inspired by the Holy Land, with a series of chapels and pathways representing the sites of the Passion. Pilgrimages were already being organized in that century, both those focused on the Passion and those centered on Marian mysteries, and the site grew to become one of the largest sanctuaries in Poland, especially popular during Holy Week and Marian feasts. Devotion to the Marian image is associated with numerous favors and healings, and votive offerings are abundant; however, no documentation of specific miracles with names and dates is found in the available sources.

The 20th century forever linked this sanctuary to the name of a boy from nearby Wadowice. As a child, Karol Wojtyła made pilgrimages to Kalwaria with his parents; the faithful of the region often say that it is the place where the future Pope "learned to pray with Mary," guided by his father. As Archbishop of Kraków, he promoted the celebrations, and later, as John Paul II, he visited Kalwaria in 1979 and 2002, calling it the sanctuary of his affections and entrusting his ministry, the Church, and his homeland to the Mother of God. In 1999, the complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its unique value as a Baroque Calvary integrated into the landscape.

The images of the Pope in Kalwaria, asking the Virgin Mary to sustain his ministry, remain vivid in the memory of many Poles—a heartfelt consecration he himself expressed in homilies and prayers. The Rosary and Marian prayer naturally accompany the journey through the chapels and along the paths of Calvary, in a sanctuary where the Passion of Christ and the Heart of Mary are contemplated together.