Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Zakopane, Małopolska Voivodeship, Poland

This is one of the oldest centres of the Fatima cult in Poland. It was built as a votive offering for saving of the life of Pope John Paul II after the assassination attempt in 1981.

The shrine’s origins can be traced back to 1961 when Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski gave to the Pallottine Order in Zakopane a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, originally donated by the Bishop of Fatima. It was housed in a chapel built in 1951 next to the Pallottine residence in Krzeptowki. Over the years it became a shrine of Fatima with the hope of being greatly expanded in the future and strongly linked with the Polish Pope.

In 1987 work began on the construction of a great church next to the chapel, as a votive offering of gratitude for the recovery of Pope John Paul II after his assassination attempt on 13 May 1981. The building was designed by Stanislaw Tylka from Zakopane, and built by local people. The construction was completed in 1992. The church was consecrated by Pope John Paul II on 7 June 1997 during his pilgrimage to Poland.

The altar at which Pope John Paul II celebrated mass in Zakopane during the same pilgrimage was also taken to what is known as the Park of Fatima. Next to the altar stands a statue of Pope John Paul II. In 2005 the chapel was dedicated to and commemorates the death of the Polish Pope. The shrine in Zakopane is visited each year by around 300,000 pilgrims.

Visit Poland. Epic Poland Adventure Route © All Rights Reserved | Monika & Simon Newbound 2017

building Own or work here? Claim Now! Claim Now!
image