Basilica of St Nicholas and Sanctuary of Our Lady of Rychwałd

The Basilica of St Nicholas and Sanctuary of Our Lady of Rychwałd stands in Rychwałd in the municipality of Gilowice, in Żywiec County. It is a Baroque church from 1756 in which a miraculous image of Mary with the Child is venerated. In 2017 Pope Francis gave it the title of minor basilica, and the church is in the heritage register.

The parish, the image and the cult

The parish was founded in 1472, and the wooden church funded by Mikołaj Komorowski was consecrated in 1547. In 1644 Katarzyna Grudzińska gave the parish a 15th-century image of the Virgin Mary. After her husband Piotr Samuel Grudziński was healed in 1658, a new altar was funded, and Bishop Mikołaj Oborski declared the image miraculous. The Franciscans took over the care of the place in 1947.

The church of 1756

The brick church was consecrated on 2 August 1756. It is a three-nave building with a semicircular chancel and two massive towers. The façade is modest, but the interior is adorned with rich decoration in the Régence style, a transition between Baroque and Rococo. The polychromy was made in 1930-1935 by Paweł Palka, and the stained glass in 1962 by Regina Rychłowska. The organ has 25 stops on two manuals and a pedal. The former wooden church was moved to Gilowice.

The image of the Virgin Mary

The image measures 91.5 by 113.5 cm, is painted on lime wood and shows Mary with the Child in the Byzantine style. It was crowned twice: in 1817 by the local clergy and in 1965 by Primate Stefan Wyszyński and Bishop Karol Wojtyła.

Nearby

It is about five kilometres from here to Żywiec. You can combine a visit with Lake Żywiec or the Municipal Museum in Żywiec.

Practical information

• Location: Rychwałd, Gilowice municipality.
• This is an active church and a place of pilgrimage; check service times and the possibility of sightseeing with the parish before your visit.