Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pszów

The Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pszów is a Baroque parish church, the shrine of Our Smiling Lady and a minor basilica. As early as the 18th century pilgrims came here from Upper and Lower Silesia, Poland and Moravia.

Building the church

The old church could not hold the many pilgrims, so in 1743 it was decided to build a new one, to a design by the master mason Georg Friedrich Gans of Karniów. The brick Baroque church was completed around 1747 and consecrated in September. The high altar was consecrated in 1750 by Bishop Philipp Gotthard von Schaffgotsch. The façade had no towers at that time: the first was raised in 1847-1848, the second in 1849-1850, and the tower spires were fitted in 1908-1909. The completed church was consecrated on 14 September 1862.

The image of Our Smiling Lady

The high altar holds the image of Our Lady of Pszów, known as Our Smiling Lady. It is an oil copy of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa, which pilgrims from Pszów bought in Częstochowa in 1722. The canvas was damaged, so it was given to the Wodzisław painter Fryderyk Siedlecki for restoration. The artist brightened the Madonna's face and gave it a touch of Slavic beauty, so the painting no longer resembled the Częstochowa original. In 1723 it was solemnly carried into the church in Pszów.

The cult grew quickly: in 1727-1728 the image was known throughout the area from accounts of healings, and from Easter to mid-May 1728 it was visited, according to the parish archive, by 4,000 pilgrims. The first coronation, a private one, took place in 1732. In 1979 the image was crowned again, with crowns blessed by John Paul II during his first pilgrimage to Poland. The church has a plaque commemorating the visit of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła in 1968.

The basilica, the Calvary and the organ

The church received the title of minor basilica in 1997, and the shrine of Our Smiling Lady was established in 2002 by decree of Archbishop Damian Zimoń. For pilgrims, Stations of the Cross were set up in the churchyard in 1855, and in 1915-1929 a Calvary with fourteen brick chapels was built in the forest, two kilometres from the church. The indulgence feast days fall on the second Sunday of September, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on the last Sunday of June.

In 1928 the firm of Paul Berschdorf of Nysa built an organ in the basilica with 41 stops, two manuals and a pneumatic action. The instrument was designed with three manuals, but for financial reasons it was delivered with a temporary console, which stayed for good. In the 1990s the organ was thoroughly overhauled and chimes were added.

Among the nearby churches is St George's Church in Rydułtowy.

In Wodzisław Śląski stands the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Practical information

• Parish address: ul. Bohaterów Westerplatte 1, Pszów.
• This is a working church and a place of worship: when visiting the interior, take the services into account. The times of services, confession and the parish office are on the parish website.
• The Pszów Calvary lies in the forest about two kilometres from the church.