POLAND Jasna Gora, Czestochowa

Czestochowa, a city in southern Poland is known for its famous Pauline monastery from the 17^th century and is the third largest Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.

Jasna Góra consists of a large Baroque church, Great Refectory, Knight Hall, and the library with a collection of precious old books.
The chapel of the Basilica is a home to the miraculous icon. The icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa – The Black Madonna has been linked with Poland for more than 600 years. Legend has it that it was painted on a cedar table top from the house of the Holy Family by St. Luke the Evangelist and it travelled from Jerusalem via Constantinople and finally reached the village of Czestochowa in the late 14^th century. An angel appeared to Saint Ladislaus, the prince of Belz, and told him to take the image to this small village. The Black Madonna picture forms the heart of the sanctuary. The worshippers believe that a visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979 and his subsequent visits and prayers in front of the image helped to bring about the fall of Communism.