The Divine figure of Mary Mother of God was crafted in Austria in about 1750 by un unknown artist , as a flat carving in a lime wood, it is 39 cm high and is a copy of the miraculous figure of Mary, Mother of God , from the Austrian Sanctuary in Mariazell. The figure depicts Mary with Baby Jesus in Her right arm. Mary's dress is blue with a floral motif and the dress on Jesus is plain crimson in color. The dresses on both figures are in the trapezoid shape with horizontal lines imitating braded rope with tassels. The base of figure consists of three heads of Angels. Dresses are put on the figure to embellish and enrich the figure of the Mother of God. The current dress was funded by His Excellency Ignacy Dec First Bishop of Świdnica in thanks for 75 years of life, 50 years of priesthood, 15 years of bishopric and 15 years of the Diocese of Świdnica.



Mary of the Snow

The name of the church on Mountain Igliczna, Our Lady of the Snow, was directly taken from one of the names of the Roman basilica Santa Maria Maggiore. This basilica is also known as Santa Della Neve, Our Lady of the Snow, because of a miraculous snowfall on 5 August A.D. 352 in the place where the basilica is located.

As for the history of building that Roman Basilica, the legend says that Pope Liberius and a childless Roman patrician, Johan, had similar dreams. The pope dreamt of Mother Mary and the Lady told him to build a church in the place where he would find snow. The childless patrician also dreamt of Mother Mary and the Lady told him that he and his wife would have offspring if he built a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the place indicated by snowfall. When in the morning on 5 August A.D. 352, Romans saw the Esquiline Hill covered with a thick layer of snow, they were amazed. However, for Pope Liberius and patrician Johan it was a sign to begin the construction of the temple in accordance with God's will. It was the first temple devoted to the Virgin Mary built in Europe.

The long and snowy winters in the Snieznik Massif, the name of the mountains range, where lies Mountain Igliczna, and the desire to go back to the origins of the Virgin Mary cult were the inspiration for naming the local church „Our Lady of the Snow” or rather „Mary of the Snow” as it is a literal translation from Polish „Maria ¦nieżna”.

The Cause of Our Joy

How greatly worshipers venerate the figure of Our Lady of the Snow on Mountain Igliczna is best manifested by the endless throngs of Catholic pilgrims who have been coming to ask the sweet Mother for gracious protection and efficacious intercession with the All Mighty God. The numerous inscriptions recorded in the church book and votive intentions, prayers and offerings are expression of the devotee's faith and gratitude to Mary the Mother of God for her blessings. To augment the cult and to express proper gratitude to the Mother of God for so numerous graces, John Paul II crowned the miraculous figure of the Mother Mary of the Snow on the 21 of June 1983 in Wrocław, during his second pilgrimage to his Native Poland, invoking Her as the Cause of Our Joy.

„I wish to express my joy that in my pilgrimage to Jasna Góra i have the privilege to crown the miraculous figure of Our Lady of the Snow, who reigns the Sudeten Mountains and bestows Her grace generously as the distinguished Guardian, in particular to those who suffer from eye diseases, women yearning for offspring, tourists and athletes, as the Cause of Our Joy. Placing the crowns on the temples of the Son and the Mother we say, "Thou are the Mother of God, Thou are Our Mother and Queen. It is in Thy hands, as the Mediator of all graces, that we lay our lives and our redemption." We combine in one and leave at Thy feet faith, hope, and love expressed here and professed for so many years in the past and also our present faith, hope, and love and as well as the one to be professed by future generations. Be our joy today as Thou were in the past; give our hearts your graces, sending them in such abundance as snowflakes fall in the mountains where Thou live. i recommend myself and my ministrations to the catholic Church at St Peter's Roman Capital and to the prayers of pilgrims who visit Thou, Mary of the Snow.”

Film

The Holy Father John Paul II had been on the Mountain Igliczna on person at the least for three times. As the priest Karol Wojtyła on July 7th, 1955, with the group of student-fellows; then as a bishop on August 20th, 1961, at the occasion of the „Days for Our Lady” celebrated in Breslau; and as a Cardinal on August 10th, 1968, realizing a pilgrimage over the sanctuaries of the Land of Glatz.

The coronation bulla - translation


POPE JOHN PAUL II
in eternal memory of the event

How sacrosanct was the Virgin Mary of the Snow's figure on Needle Mountain, part of St. Joseph's parish in Międzygórze, in Wrocław Archdiocese, is best manifested by endless Catholic throngs of pilgrims who, since 1782, when the church was consecrated to the Virgin, have come incessantly to ask for gracious protection and efficacious intercession of the sweetest Mother of God. Entries in the church books confirm her numerous blessings. To augment the cult and to express proper gratitude to God's Mother for so numerous graces, the Reverend Brother Henryk Gulbinowicz, Wrocław Metropolitan Archbishop, expressing his own desire, the clergy's and the congregation's, asked, on behalf of us and with our authority, to crown this effigy with a precious gemstone. Hence, We, taking the counsel of the Holy Congregation for Sacraments and God's Cult, readily comply with the request and by means of the present letter, with Our Apostolic Authority, authorize him to put on the above mentioned effigy, on behalf of us, a precious crown in accordance with the engraving and the canon. At the same time we believe deeply that through this solemn fact, the glory of such a great Advocate, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, will be augmented, and the Catholic community's faith and morals strengthened. All adverse regulations are null and void. Handed in Rome, at St. Peter's, under the Fisherman's seal, on 28 October 1982, in the fifth year of Our Pontificate.

/-/ Augustyn Cardinal Casaroli
on public matters of the Church