Sanctuary of Our Lady Help of Christians in Przyłęków

The Sanctuary of Our Lady Help of Christians in Przyłęków is a small church from 1902 on the “Nad Dołkiem” meadow, by the yellow trail from Świnna to Jastrzębica, at an altitude of 630 m above sea level. It has had the status of a diocesan sanctuary since 2008.

The apparition and the beginnings of the church

According to tradition, on 2 July 1882 Our Lady appeared in a dream to the shepherd Wojciech Stefko. Stefko, together with his neighbours, set up a small shrine on this spot, and a larger chapel was built from 1896 to 1902. During the construction a spring with healing water is said to have gushed forth. In 1902 a statue of Mary was bought, which stands in the altarpiece.

History of the parish and sanctuary

In 1953 the Salesians took over the care of the church, and in 1959 a presbytery was built. The parish was established on 2 February 1985. In 2000 the church was a Jubilee church. In 2014 the figure of Our Lady was crowned with bishops' crowns. The church with its sacristy, the presbytery, the church house and the well are in the municipal register of historic monuments of the municipality of Świnna.

Interior

The church is brick, with a single nave and a small chancel. In the Baroque high altar stands a figure of Our Lady with the Child, considered miraculous, 1.45 m high. The left side altar, Early Baroque, possibly comes from the Church of St Catherine in Cięcina. The windows have multicoloured stained glass, and on the terrazzo floor a rosette marks the place where the spring is said to have gushed forth. From the gallery you can reach the attic and the tower.

Next to the church are an open-air altar, a roofed well and a house from the 1920s. It is about seven kilometres from here to Żywiec with the Żywiec Brewery Museum.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Pielgrzymów 20, Przyłęków.
• The yellow trail from Świnna leads to the church. Check the service times with the parish.