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The church of Our Lady of the Snow located near the summit of Mountain Igliczna (847 m. above sea level) in the Sudeten Mountains, a picturesque region of south-western Poland near the Czech border. Inside, at the centre of the altar in the church, lies the figure of Mary the Mother of God, regarded by pilgrims to have divine power of miracles.
The history of the Sanctuary dates back to the times when Silesia belonged to Austria, and the population of the Kłodzko valley made pilgrimages to the Sanctuary in Mariazell.
As a result of Kłodzko County joining Prussia in 1742, pilgrims to Mariazell had problems crossing the border to Austria. At that time, a resident of the Wilkanów village, Krzysztof Veit, returning from a pilgrimage to Mariazell in 1750, brought a folk carving of Our Lady in Mariazell.
At first, the pilgrim placed the wood carving under the protective branches of an ancient beech-tree on the Igliczna Mountain, to remind passersby of the Austrian Shrine in Mariazell. In 1765 a fierce windstorm devastated the hillside woods of Mountain Igliczna, causng the ancient beech-tree to fall. However, the figure of Mother Mary remained unharmed. This was regarded as an act of God's providence and the figure was carried to an area not affected by the storm. In 1776, the Blessed Mother was placed in a wooden chapel, built on the spot of the current parsonage. Here, on the 26 of June 1777, the first miracle took place. The son of Lawrence Franke from Sienna regained his eyesight, following an accidental fall into a lime pit. Shortly after, the next miracle happened: the hand of a miller's son crushed by the mill's gears healed completely. By 1781, the evidence of twelve miracles was attributed to Mary, Mother of God. Since the blessings given by Mary's mediation became known, visitors, pilgrims, and the curious have been coming in ever growing numbers. The wood chapel soon proved too small for the increasing number of pilgrims.
On the 18th of June 1781, the cornerstone was laid and blessed, marking the beginning of construction of the church. It was built by pilgrims under the supervision of André Jäger from Międzylesie, a masonry contractor, and Joseph Knietig from Wilkanów, who was in charge of carpentry. On the 22nd of October 1782, Fr. Carol Winter from Międzylesie, who was the vicar of the archbishop of Prague, consecrated the new church and dedicated it to Our Lady of the Snow. The steeple was completed in 1784, and between 1821-23 cloisters encircling the nave were constructed.
maintenance/repairs
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2017-2018:
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