Since 2004 the collegiate in Wiślica has had the status of a Minor Basilica, which makes it a third basilica in the Kielce Diocese. It is one of the best preserved of the, so called, “Casimir’s temples” and inside it there are unique relics of the past.
The Expiatory Church
A two-nave, hall-church is covered with a palm vaulting. It stands in the place of former temple, probably built by king Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir III the Great) as an expiatory church, which was to be the evidence of his regret and expiation after drowning a Cracow vicar Marcin Baryczka in 1349. According to other sources, it had been founded by king Władysław Łokietek (Władysław I the Elbow-high), while his son Casimir only ended its building. The church had been built between 1350 and 1380 and, later on, it was elevated to the rank of a collegiate. In the 15th C., a sacristy and a treasury were added to it. Unfortunately, the temple suffered greatly in the struggles of the Swedish deluge and later, during WWI, it was bombed by the Austrian air forces. Its roofing, ceiling, polychromes and bell-tower were severely damaged then. Thus, when the war ended, the temple has been partly rebuilt, but due to that its bell-tower and front side of the collegiate were pulled down. Nowadays, in the underground there are some remains of the former church, e.g. the, so called, orant stone from the 17th C. The most valuable pieces in the Wiślica sanctuary are: a 14th- century tabernacle, frescos depicting the scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and a figure of the Łokietkowa (Elbow-high’s) Madonna.
The Minor Basilica with a miraculous figure, situated by the Wiślica square
Royal prayers heard
The 17th-century stone figure of Madonna Łokietkowa (Elbow-high’s), known also as the Wiślica Lady or the Smiling Mother of God, has been a source of worship for ages, mainly thanks to king Władysław Łokietek (Władysław I the Elbow-high) who often used to pray before it during his struggles for Wiślica with a Czech king Wacław II (Wenceslaus II). Nevertheless, he was not the only royal member worshipping it, as king Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir III the Great) also used to come here for a church fair together with his brothers. The same did later king Władysław Jagiełło and his wife Jadwiga. According to the records, the miraculous figure has been brought to Wiślica from Hungary by a hermit Andrzej Świerada. It was crowned in 1966 by the Primate of Poland, cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, in the presence of 40 thousand of worshippers and church officials, among whom there was also the later pope Karol Wojtyła.
On the way to Częstochowa
The figure of Madonna Łokietkowa draws thousands of pilgrims every year. Wiślica is a point, where a walking pilgrimage to Częstochowa starts and a stopping place for the faithful going to the Jasna Góra from other Polish cities. The main festivals in the sanctuary take place during the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Lawrence’s Day.
The inside of the Wiślica temple
Today, it is a small town, yet in many places there are still some traces of its former prosperity.
