Polish Madonnas: Our Lady of Ludźmierz

The Miraculous Spring

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ludźmierz in Ludźmierz, Poland is home to Our Lady of Ludźmierz, known as the Shepherdess of Podhale or in Polish Gaździna Podhala.

Ludźmierz is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in Podhale. Its history stretches back to the 13th century. In 1234 Teodor Gryfita began raising a simple wooden church with a shingled roof and three altars, after obtaining permission from the bishop of Kraków. Pope John Paul II visited the sanctuary in 1997. In 2001 the church was declared a Minor Basilica.

Perhaps the most well-known story regarding the shrine is an incident during the crowning of the statue by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in 1963, attended by the future Pope John Paul II as Bishop of the Archdiocese of Kraków. The statue accidentally slipped during the ceremony and the future pontiff caught the scepter which had fallen out of the statue's grasp, a scene that was later interpreted as a prophecy of the young Bishop's future selection as Pope.

There is a medieval legend from about 1400 that refers to the Shepherdess of Podhale or the Gaździna Podhala which refers to a Hungarian merchant on his way to Nowy Targ who after having lost his way in the nearby swamps, was miraculously led out by a mysterious lady to the church. When he understood that this mysterious figure had been Mary, the mother of Jesus, he attempted to kneel to give thanks in prayer when a miraculous spring burst forth. He pledged to commission a statue that would depict Mary as he'd seen her and bring it back to the church.

Polish Madonnas: Our Lady of Gietrzwald

Our Lady of Gietrzwald

In Gietrzwald, Poland, between June 27, 1877, and September 16, 1877, the Virgin appeared to two children, Justyna Szafrynska and Barbara Samulowska. On June 27, Justyna and her mother had just left the church when they heard the bell ringing the Angelus. Justyna began to pray, and then she saw a bright light over a maple tree, and a beautiful lady who was seated on a throne surrounded by angels. The next day Justyna returned with her friend Barbara. They recited the rosary and the Virgin appeared to them. These apparitions continued daily at different times.



On June 30, 1877, the apparition said, in Polish: "I would like you to say the rosary every day."

On July 1st, she declared: "I am the Most Blessed Mary Immaculate."

Many people joined the girls in the following months. Some asked the Virgin questions about imprisoned priests, missing people, and the freedom of Poland. Others asked for healing, especially from alcoholism.

The Virgin Mary's answer was always:


"Pray and say the rosary, priests will be freed, the sick will recover, Poland will regain its independence thanks to your prayers."

Our Lady asked the faithful to build a chapel on the place of her apparition, with a statue of the Immaculate Conception. She promised to bless a spring at the edge of the forest and encouraged the people to drink the miraculous water.

A theological and medical committee examined the girls and the content of the message: everything was found to be normal. On September 10, 1967, on behalf of Pope Paul VI, the cardinals S. Wyszynski and C.Wojtyla solemnly crowned the sacred image. On September 11, 1977, one hundred years after the apparitions, the bishop declared the authenticity of the apparitions, with the permission of the Primate and the Holy See.